


The Fairy Godmother

by Watermelonsmellinfellon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: :), Chamber of Secrets Alternate, Cunning, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fairies, Fairy Godparents, Fluff, Gen, Harry learns to be a Slytherin, Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, Humor, Jokes, M/M, Magic, Male Slash, Manipulative Dumbledore, Mudblood will be a Muggle candy/sweet soon, Original Character(s), Parseltongue, Pranks, Realism, Revenge, Slytherin Harry, Truth, Varix looks like Lilly Singh, Wishes, but too damn naive to see the truth of Harry's situation, eventual slash, fairy godmother - Freeform, fairy magic, house elf magic, i went there, not necessarily bad, realms, see cover art in chapter 13!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-04-14 13:54:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 82,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4567035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watermelonsmellinfellon/pseuds/Watermelonsmellinfellon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Enchantress, queen of the Fairy Realm, has decided that Harry Potter has earned a fairy godparent. Only she's a bit odd, lazy, and perverted. But she also has his best interests in mind. Harry doesn't know how to react to being able to wish for nearly anything he wants. Varix brings out his inner Slytherin which attracts some Slytherin attention! </p>
<p>Starts in the Chamber of Secrets, but drastically changes even with staying near the story line. Harry delving into his Slytherin side. :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Værix̂ Tɛmpaʊð: (Vah-ricks Tem-pow-th)  
> Species: Fairy  
> Status: Fairy Godmother  
> Age: 1000 years, just reached majority.  
> Skin: Dark brown  
> Hair: Black/long  
> Eyes: Violet  
> Dress: Long and purple  
> Wings: Purple and green  
> Real person that I modeled Varix after: Lilly Singh, iisuperwomanii.

**A/N: Hello, people!. New fic!**

**I don't own Harry Potter. I do own Varix though.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. THE LINK IS BELOW. I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

The Realm of Fairies was like any another dimension packed into Earth. There were all sorts of fairies for all sorts of things.

There were pixies, who were fairies with so little magic that it stunted their growth and only allowed them to levitate things with their pixie dust.

There were tooth fairies, who collected the fallen teeth of children and left them money in return. The teeth were used in their scepters and allowed better magical advancement. The more teeth a fairy collected, the more prestige their earned.

There were elemental fairies, who were not to be trifled with. Especially the ones who were born of fire.

There were battle fairies who specialized in battle magicks. They could be terrifying, simply put.

There were the fae, who adored nature a bit too much. Like a Nymph and a Sidhe rolled into one. Sweet and gentle until angered, where they turned into screeching females who were ready to fling spells.

And then came the most rare and yet powerful fairies. The fairy godparents. With the ability to grant almost any wish of their kids, and the immunity from all laws but their own realm's, they held the most power and position. Unfortunately, they were also in rare supply.

Either you were born a godparent or not. And unfortunately, only about four were born every millennium and they usually died after four thousand years. So the Realm of Fairies only had about twenty and the youngest had just reached adulthood by attaining her one thousandth year.

And at her birthday celebration, what is she informed? The Enchantress herself - queen of all fairies - tells her that she is to be given a kid of her own. A kid who was in need of a friend and until his life was better, she was to stay with him and help him.

The contract was already made.

And who was she given of all the people in the realms?

The most famous magical child since the Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the first magical school in the Mortal Realm of Earth.

Harry Potter.

Poor kid.

They just shucked her on him.

His life would never be the same.

* * *

Harry Potter huffed as he moved back up to his room. Uncle Vernon was having company over and he was to go and 'not exist' in his bedroom until the morning. And he had to keep Hedwig silent or else she would have to go or be killed, his uncle wasn't particular about which.

Life was unfair.

He opened his bedroom door to find something he was not expecting. There was a deeply, tanned woman in a really long, flowing, purple dress, with two large green and black wings attached to her back, fighting with an odd looking creature that had green, tennis ball eyes and droopy ears. The woman had her arm around the thing's neck.

"Harry Potter!" the creature called from the headlock it was stuck in. "Such an… honor it is to... meet you!"

"Excuse me, but who are you and why are you here?"

The two stopped struggling against each other and parted, the woman dropping the thing to the floor.

She smiled suddenly and began… floating. Her wings were flapping so fast he could only see a blur. He noticed she wasn't wearing shoes either. "I'm Varix, your fairy godmother."

The creature on the floor, stood and gave a bow, it's long nose brushing the floor in the process. "I'm Dobby, sir. Dobby the House Elf."

Harry just stared. "The who and the what now?"

Varix pointed to herself, "Fairy who grants your wishes." She then pointed top Dobby, "Elf who cleans houses. What more can we say?"

"Well I've never heard of either of you and not to be rude or anything, but this isn't exactly the time for me to have either of you in my bedroom."

Dobby proceeded to bow repeatedly, "Dobby is sorry, but Dobby had to come and speak with Harry Potter. It is most urgent, sir. And if Dobby's family ever knew that Dobby was here," he shivered.

"Huh?"

Varix sighed, "House Elves are servants to witches and wizards and they punish themselves when they do wrong or make mistakes. However, some masters go beyond their rights and decide to punish their Elves themselves. If his family knew he was talking to you of all people, they'd probably have him quartered."

Dobby nodded sadly.

Harry looked around for a second, before closing his door. "I honestly can't be making noise or else. So can we do this quietly? Do either of you want to sit down?"

Dobby burst into tears and began hailing him as a great wizard for being so kind. Varix simply waved a hand and made a chair appear out of thin air. She sat primly and smiled. "He's got something important to tell you and something to give you," she said, sending the Elf a piercing look.

Dobby winced, but removed something from the hideous thing he was wearing. A stack of letters! Harry's letters!

"Dobby feels most aggrieved, sir. But dangerous things are to happen at Hogwarts this year and Dobby thought that the best way for Harry Potter to stay safe, was to not go back. So Dobby planned to take Harry Potter's mail so that Harry Potter might be too sad and not want to go back to school, sir." He handed the stack of letters to Harry. "Dobby has already ironed his hands for taking today's mail."

Harry was a bit uncomfortable with the thought of someone punishing themselves so thoroughly. He accepted his mail with a soft 'thank you' and placed it on the small desk the Dursleys had afforded him.

"Are you sure something bad will happen? Does it have to do with Voldemort?"

Dobby flinched, but shook his head in the negative. "History… is to repeat… itself."

Dobby gave a loud cry and Varix waved a hand, making a green light cover the walls of Harry's small bedroom. Dobby proceeded to smash his head into the windowsill repeatedly, screaming, "Bad Dobby!" Hedwig began screeching at the disturbing noise.

"Dobby! Dobby! Please, stop! Dobby!"

The Elf swayed in place, shaking his head a few times for good measure. "Dobby apologizes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby almost spoke too much. But Dobby is only trying to keep Harry Potter safe!"

"Which is kind of you and all," Varix began. "But I'm here now and he'll be fine with me around."

"I'm sorry, what are you here for?" Harry asked her.

She huffed, "You didn't hear? I'm your fairy godmother. The Fairy Queen chose you as the newest fairy godchild because you deserve some help and happiness in your life. My contract will be up the moment you don't need me anymore."

She stood and smoothed her dress down. "Now, there are five rules: I can't kill any humans, can't make any humans fall in love, can't bring humans back from the dead - no matter how much Death seems to favor you, he wouldn't appreciate it - and I cannot take something of great import from someone else just so you can have it, nor can I make you automatically pass examinations or win duels, tournaments, etc... Everything else is free game, as well as the loopholes," she grinned, violet eyes twinkling slightly.

Fairies are real. Fairy godmothers are real.

"Is this like a wanting to go to the ball and having to leave at midnight because the magic's not permanent?"

"Okay, while Disney had a great imagination, don't take anything in his movies at face value. The only kind of magic that reverses after a short time period is Transfiguration. Everything else is permanent unless there is a count charm, spell, curse, ritual, you get what I'm putting down?"

"I think so."

"Great! Now, Dobby, do you have anything else to tell Harry or do you have to get home?"

Dobby gave a deep bow. "Dobby must go, Harry Potter, sir. But please Miss Fairy, please protect Harry Potter, or Dobby may have to act."

He was gone with a pop a second later.

"Well," Varix said, clapping her fingers. "What would you like?"

"I don't know, what do I do?"

"Well, perhaps you should read those letters of yours."

Harry nodded and sat down on his bed. "Do you need anything or…?"

"No, I'm fine. Go ahead."

He didn't know how long it took, but he was pulled away from his ninth letter, by being hit in the head by something. Varix was already up from her seat and holding it. It was a letter. His window was open and flying away in the distance, was an owl.

"Your Ministry is full of idiots. They can't even tell when the child themselves don't do the magic," Varix tutted. She sent Harry a smile, "I'm going to clear this up with the Improper Use of Magic Office. They were informed of my use of a silencing charm and Dobby's Apparition and are blaming you. I'll be back in a mo."

She was gone with a pop the next second and Harry was left in wonder.

* * *

Varix had only been to the Ministry of Magic four times and she knew the drill. And hated every moment of it.

When she flew into the Improper Use of Magic Office and demanded to see Madam Hopkirk, the workers all gaped.

The woman was brought before her as well as some Aurors. Fat load of help they'd give.

"I want you to remove this infraction you just added to my godchild's records. Seriously, your Ministry is that pathetic that you can't differentiate Fairy Magic, House Elf Magic, and Wizard Magic? What twelve year old boy knows how to Apparate?"

Madam Hopkirk gaped, before shaking herself off visibly. "And whom are we speaking of?"

"Harry James Potter, and I'm his fairy godmother."

The ensuing silence was golden.

* * *

Harry was startled from his letters by the reappearance of Varix.

"YOU'VE BEEN CLEARED!"

He fell off the bed in shock while hissing, "Shhhhhhh!"

"Silencing Charm, duh!"

His nose wrinkled. "You talk funny."

She sat in her conjured seat and huffed, "Time between our realms is different. I could go to any time period in your realm if I wanted. Before my thousandth birthday, I spent several years in America, just chillin'. I think it was the year 2017 when I left."

Harry didn't know which was more shocking, 'thousandth birthday' or 'year 2017', and he didn't want to think on either.

"Anyway, like any other time I hid in some Earth country, I managed to take on several customs. I was rebellious. Am rebellious. Whatever."

She sat forward, looking eager. "So… what do you want to wish for?"

"Uhhhh…"

"Come on, there's gotta be something you want!"

"I don't know!"

"What kind of kid are you?!"

Harry huffed, "Fine! I'd like to write a letter!"

"Do you have the supplies or do you need to wish for them?"

"Everything's in my trunk, but that and my broom are locked in the cupboard under the stairs."

"Then make a wish, but be very clear on what you want."

This was too much pressure!

"I wish… that my school trunk and Nimbus 2000 will appear on my bed?"

"Eh… we have time to work on it," Varix said, snapping her fingers. A second later, Harry was boxed in on both sides by his broom and his trunk.

He jumped up, unable to stop himself from smiling. This was so cool!

He unlatched the clasps and threw open the top of the trunk. With practiced ease, he shoved his hand inside and located the stack of parchment, as well as his inkwell and a quill.

"Why go through all the trouble when you could just wish for a nice fountain pen?"

Harry looked up and then to his materials, before nodding. "I wish I had a fountain pen."

She nodded approvingly and snapped her fingers, making a beautiful, silver fountain pen appear on his small desk. Harry put the inkwell and quill back and thanked her, before sitting down and flattening out the parchment.

"Maybe if you word everything properly, you could visit your friends for the rest of the summer," she suggested. "I can get you there easily."

Harry's head snapped up and pure hope filled him. He'd love to not have to stay with the Dursleys for the rest of the summer. It'd be a dream come true!

He set to writing his long, overdue replies, silently thanking whatever higher being(s) that existed, that Varix had come to him.

Hedwig was released from her prison. Varix snapped her fingers, making the cage itself become larger. She levitated it to the floor so it wouldn't take up too much space. The former size of the cage was too constricting that Hedwig wouldn't even be able to stretch her wings even the slightest. Varix snapped her fingers again and a bowl filled with water, appeared inside the new cage.

Harry finished his letters and gave them to Hedwig, who gave a low bark. She butted heads with him and shook herself before flying out the still open window.

"You should do your assignments," Varix broke the silence. "I'll help with any knowledge I have. It's better than sitting here and doing nothing while you wait."

With a groan, Harry went to fetch his books. He had four feet of Potions to write. This would be a while.

* * *

"I wish Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia will be in good moods for the rest of the summer."

Varix snapped her fingers. "It is done."

Both of their heads snapped to the door, where they could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Varix snapped her fingers, disillusioning the owl cage, making a vision of Hedwig in a cage, appear on Harry's desk. She then closed the window. She vanished Harry's school supplies into a small bag. She exploded in a burst of sparkles, leaving Harry alone in his seemingly boring room.

Petunia opened the door to find him sitting on his bed, looking bored.

"Come and do your chores."

She didn't even sneer at him. She was in a good mood.

He nodded and left the room.

Out in the garden, he was shocked out of his wits by a purple snake with black stripes green eyes.

§ ** _Why are you doing the gardening? Is she really that lazy?_** § came the familiar voice of Varix, though with a little his of a hiss at the end. She must be the snake!

§ _ **S** ** _he_ hasn't done the gardening in years. She had to start up again because I go to Hogwarts,**_§ he answered.

§ _ **Oh, you're a Parselmouth! Good on you.**_ §

§ ** _A what?_** §

§ ** _You can speak the serpent's tongue. It's a rare skill that not many humans possess._** §

§ ** _Snakes have a language?_** § he asked, thinking back to that time in the zoo where he thought he'd imagined the snake calling him 'amigo'.

§ _ **Yeah.**_ §

§ ** _Cool._** §

He loved magic.

Harry continued working on the gardening, with Varix throwing in hints that he could just wish for it all to be done. He denied, claiming that he'd have to go in early and probably be given a list of ridiculous chores. She told him that he could just wish for his aunt to go elsewhere and then wish the house clean, to which he finally agreed.

"I wish the gardening was done the way my aunt likes it."

Varix's serpentine eyes glowed a bright green and Harry watched as the gardening tools began moving on their own, digging up weeds and planting the Chrysanthemums and Peonies his aunt had purchased. Then the garden was watered and he was left standing there, marveling at how quickly it had gone by.

"I wish Aunt Petunia had something important to do away from Privet Drive for the next five hours."

The green eyes glowed again. He allowed her to curl around his wrist as he went back to the house. Petunia was bustling about the 'lounge', her handbag was resting on the sofa.

"I'm going to London with Mrs. Polkiss. We're taking Dudley and Piers to the cinema. Do your normal chores and start on dinner. I should be back by the time Vernon is."

She was out the door, leaving Harry with blissful silence.

Varix unwound from his wrist, popping back to her normal form. She grinned. "So… make a wish."

He looked around the room. "I wish the house was as clean as Aunt Petunia wants it to be."

Within seconds, the house was spotless. Even the ceiling was white again!

"Where did all the dirt go?" He'd always wanted to ask something similar after seeing Snape vanish ruined potions. Where did they go?

Varix shrugged, "No idea. I've never been vanished before, so I wouldn't know."

Some help that was.

"So what now?"

He shrugged. "Normally the chores take me hours. I don't really know what to do now."

"Watch the TV," she suggested.

"Huh?"

"The television, kid!"

"Oh, the telly."

Varix rolled her eyes, "And I thought I was doing well in my journey to understanding the differences between American English, British English, and Australian English. I was wrong, obviously."

Harry opted not to say anything, because she used words in ways he didn't understand and he wasn't sure if it was a fairy thing or an American thing and he didn't want to argue.

He sat on the sofa, feeling uncomfortable as he was never allowed to do it before. He switched on the telly and began to practice flipping through channels. He barely ever watched the telly either.

He sat back, watching the characters interact.

Varix was staring at him and then at the screen. "You had a very deprived childhood, didn't you?"

"I suppose."

She sighed and sat in Aunt Petunia's knitting chair. "Yeah. Only a deprived kid would think that Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is a good show."

Harry didn't really know what to say, so he just turned back to the screen and watched in rapt interest.

* * *

Ron's invitation to the Burrow came rather quickly after his reply.

"I wish Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would let me go stay with the Weasleys whenever I ask."

Varix sent him a grin. "See? That's how you wish for something!" She snapped her fingers. "It is done."

Harry sighed, feeling his worries going away. "Thank you."

Varix smiled. "Not many fairy godchildren emember to thank people. I have a feeling that you'll be very different."

Harry walked downstairs, finding his aunt and uncle in the 'lounge'. With a bit of hesitation, he cleared his throat. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon?"

"Hm?" his uncle mumbled, shifting his paper out of the way.

"May I go stay with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer?"

The two seemed to freeze in place, before sharing a look. Vernon turned to him, "You'll be gone until next year?"

"Yes."

"You're finding your own transportation, boy. I won't be driving out to- driving out to- where the devil are you going anyway?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon."

His aunt and uncle snorted.

"Good luck getting there, boy," Vernon said, before going back to the paper.

"Thank you. I'll be gone quickly."

He dashed up to his bedroom before anything else could be said.

Varix had already gathered his belongings and looked to be debating on whether to let Hedwig fly to the Weasleys or not.

"I'm ready."

She grinned, handing Hedwig's cage to him. "Sit on the trunk. I already put your broom in there, so don't worry."

Harry did as ordered, looking up and waiting. Varix cracked her neck and motioned to him. Something she did when she wanted him to make a wish.

"I wish Hedwig and I, along with my trunk and what's inside, were in the front yard of the Weasley's home."

Snap!

The only thing that changed, was the scenery. Where he was once in a crowded, stuffy room, he was now sitting in a large yard, surrounded by rolling hills and bright, green grass. Wind ruffled his Harry, carrying the scent of fresh grass and flowers. Another popping noise sounded and Varix was floating in front of him.

"Harry Potter!"

Both turned to seem two identical teen boys walking toward them. Though they looked at Varix curiously, they wasted no time in grasping Harry's hands and shaking them vigorously.

"How did you get here?" they asked in unison.

Harry pointed to Varix, who smiled cheerfully and waved. "Though it doesn't need to remain a secret, I'd still like it if few people knew that Harry Potter has a fairy godmother."

Fred and George gaped at Harry who flushed a brilliant shade of red under their scrutiny.

The twins looked at each other and simply settled for, "Wicked."

"I'll be close by," Varix winked at Harry, turning herself into a watch that appeared on his wrist.

"Come, we can introduce you to mum!" one of the twins - George - said.

"Yeah, we were getting ready to use dad's flying car to get you, but you're here now!" said the other.

One twin grabbed Hedwig's cage and the other grabbed Harry's trunk.

"Well… let's go."

Together, the trio, plus the watch that was not a watch, made their way toward the front door.

This summer was probably going to be the best of his young life.

* * *

**A/N: First is done!**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varix takes Harry top Gringotts.
> 
> Harry is being cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry learns.

**A/N: Hello, people! I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter! :)**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. THE LINK IS BELOW. I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Mrs. Weasley was a short woman - though still much taller than Harry was - with shoulder length red hair that curled slightly at the ends. She was a little plump, but that wasn't a big deal. She had a kind face with laugh lines and dark blue eyes that twinkled a bit. Not as much as Dumbledore's did, but a good bit on their own.

When he walked in the door, trailing after Fred and George, the woman had turned around, spatula in hand, looking ready to dole out some choice words to her sons, when she noticed Harry. She immediately placed the spatula on the long, wooden table and bustled on over to throw her arms around him, welcoming him to the Burrow.

She patted his hair down and turned his head from side to side, commenting that he needed to eat. She tsked over the state of his clothing and murmured something about knitting another jumper.

"It's good to have you, dear! Are you hungry? Dinner will be finished soon!"

She patted his cheek twice, before giving the twins a stern look, "Take his things up to Ron's room. Be mindful of poor Percy, he's been a little unwell this summer."

The twins saluted her and trudged across the room toward the staircase. Mrs. Weasley shook her head at them and sent Harry a smile.

"Now, how did you get here?"

"My friend Varix, she…" he stopped, looking down at the green watch on his wrist. It glowed for a second, before disappearing, with Varix popping into view beside him.

"I'm his fairy godmother, ma'am."

Mrs. Weasley was wide eyed, but she did nod quietly. In fact, she looked a little sad.

"That's a good thing, dear. Now, why don't you go upstairs, straight to the top before the attic. Ron's room is up there. I'll call when supper is finished." She patted his cheek once more and turned back to the spatula.

Harry nodded and followed where the twins went, noting that Varix did not join him.

* * *

Varix looked at the witch in front of her, who was stiff in the shoulders. She waited, knowing the question was coming.

The woman finally turned around and she looked miserable.

"Was his life with the Muggles really that bad that he qualified for a fairy godparent?" she finally asked, sounding broken.

Varix nodded. "Mind you, not all Muggles are like them, but he was left with his mother's sister, who callously attacked her sister for having magic. Who hates magic. And she hates Harry.

He was the House Elf. He'd be the perfect wife. Cooking, cleaning, gardening. Sometimes they didn't feed him if he didn't get all of his chores done on time. They don't call him by name. It's always, 'boy'. And they let their son and his gang bully him constantly and they call him, 'freak'. He has no toys, no clothing besides what he's wearing and his school uniforms. He never watched the television before. Never got to play because he either, 'worked to pay his way' or was being bullied.

The Enchantress informed me at my majority celebration that I was to be his fairy godmother. And I'm trying to show him how to be more subtle, more clever and cunning. Teach him how to word things correctly to remove loopholes. I have to push him to make wishes because he isn't greedy. The one thing he's only ever wanted it something I can't give.

I can't bring back dead humans. It's one of the laws for my kind," she sighed. "He's a good kid, he just needs a lot of help."

"Then I'm glad he has you," the woman sighed as well.

* * *

Harry passed Fred and George on his way to Ron's room. They grinned at him, waving him on. The moment he stepped in the doorway of Ron's room, the freckled redhead threw himself at Harry.

"Harry! Hermione and I have been so worried about you!"

He was pulled into the room and the door was closed quickly. The room was rather small, but still larger than his at the Dursley's. The ceiling was slanted toward the window which faced the backyard.

The walls were covered in orange. Mostly Quidditch posters of the Chudley Cannons, which wore a lot of orange. Obviously they were Ron's favorite team, Harry remembered him talking about them several times the former school year.

A Chudley Cannons bedspread along with pillows and sheets. There was an open book on the bed.

His old school books were piled in the far corner, the floor was littered with various wizarding comic books. His wand was resting on the dresser next to Scabbers the rat, who was sleeping in a patch of sunlight that was streaming in from the window.

Outside, Harry would see a group of Gnomes not so subtly sneaking into the yard by going through a large hedge. One acted as watchmen as the others tried to squeeze through.

"It's not much," Ron remarked, sounding a little put off.

"I think it's brilliant," Harry smiled. "There's so much space!"

Ron sent him an odd look but didn't question him.

"So what's be happening, mate?"

Harry prepared for a long explanation.

* * *

Dinner was nearly an hour later. Harry and Ron were the very last down to the kitchen. Harry was immediately greeted by Percy, who shook his hand and asked about his summer.

"It's mostly been like any other summer I've had," he managed, not wanting to really give anything away.

Fred and George came up from behind Percy, throwing their arms around his shoulders and smirking at Harry.

"You haven't heard yet?" asked George with a wink.

"Yeah, guess who is still a Prefect? Perfect Percy, the Prefect!" Fred laughed.

"He's been shining his badge all summer!" the twins chortled together.

Mrs. Weasley came on over, glaring at them. "Leave him be. He's setting a rather good example for his younger siblings, you might learn to take a leaf from his book and do the same!" she chastised.

"No thanks!" the twins grinned, leaving Percy alone in order to sit at the table.

Mrs. Weasley gestured for Harry to sit beside Ron.

"I could help," he offered.

"Oh that's okay, dear. But you're the guest."

"It's okay. I usually do chores and I'll feel bad if I'm just staying and not helping out."

Her lips pursed and he thought she'd argue, but instead, she just nodded a little. "How about you help me with a little cooking and help the boys de-gnome the garden and we'll call it even, okay dear?"

"Okay!" he answered eagerly.

As he helped dish out the food, a tall, thin man let himself into the house. He wore a black wizard's hat and long green robes that looked a bit tattered. His hair was just as red as everyone else's was and he wore large spectacles that magnified his blue eyes.

He looked tired.

The brood of redheads all greeted him with a, "Hi, Dad!"

He gave his wife a peck on the cheek and grinned at the lot of them, eyes stopping on Harry.

"Merlin's beard, you must be Harry Potter!"

Harry placed Ron's plate down on the table and shook the man's hand. "Hello Mr. Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, lad."

The rest of the food was plated up and the various bowls were all placed on some available space on the table. Mrs. Weasley even had to pull up two smaller tables and place them between Harry and Ron's chairs and Fred and George's chairs.

Harry and Ron were across from the Twins. On Ron's right way his little sister Ginny, who had been a nervous wreck since Harry walked into the room. Harry had a feeling that she was just another one of those people infatuated with the idea of him. He was polite but curt to her because he didn't want to encourage any fantasies.

At the other end of the table, which was to Ginny's right, was Mrs. Weasley.

To Harry's left was Mr. Weasley who sat at the head of the table. The twins were to his left followed by Percy. It was all very cozy.

It was the best meal of Harry's life.

* * *

Mr. Weasley loved Muggles. There was no other way to say it. He even worked at the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office in the Ministry.

The man had questions and unfortunately, Harry couldn't answer some of them. But he did manage to do his very best on what he did know. And whatever he couldn't answer, Varix would answer. And if she somehow didn't know, she would make ' _how it works_ ' books appear for Mr. Weasley to read.

Harry learned how to de-gnome a garden and they even made a game of it. Harry's gnome went the furthest, over the hedge, past the large tree in the far distance. The twins gave him a Wizard Card as a reward. Wendolyn the Weird who was burned dozens of times at the stake and giggled every time.

They got to play quidditch in the large clearing a ways from the house that was blocked by a lot of trees. So long as they kept low, no Muggles would see them.

Harry loved the Burrow.

* * *

On August seventh, Ron received a letter at breakfast, from Hermione. Conveniently, their Hogwarts letters for what they'd need in the upcoming term, also arrived.

Mr. And Mrs. Weasley agreed to meet Hermione and her parents at Diagon Alley the next Wednesday. Harry ended up writing the reply letter to save Ron the boredom. Besides, he'd like to send a word to his other best mate.

Their school lists, were annoying.

Harry had learned of Gilderoy Lockhart from Mrs. Weasley, who had every one of his books. She was enamored with the wizard and his magical skill. She relied on his books for everything.

_Magical Me_ , the man's most famous book, was thick. And it had a moving and winking photograph of Lockhart himself on the front cover. Tall, with wavy blonde hair, light blue eyes, and bright, white teeth. Somehow, he managed to have all teeth showing just from one smile. Though Harry was calm with Mrs. Weasley's prattling, he wasn't that interested in the man. He seemed annoying.

Very Malfoy like, without the sneer.

Ron not so quietly said, "Mum fancies him."

She made him go quiet the ghoul in the attic as punishment.

Lockhart had written most of their book list. The twins were bemoaning the price of it all and Harry couldn't help but cut in with, "Just buy one set. You have all the same classes and sit next to each other. Why waste money when you don't have to?"

They stared at him for a moment, before nodding.

"Makes sense."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

A few days later, the Weasley family, plus one, were ready to go shopping. Harry was then introduced to the Floo Network.

Mrs. Weasley held a large flowerpot between her hands. The Weasley's all formed a line with Harry standing back, wondering what was going on.

She held the pot out to him and gestured to the fireplace. "After you, Harry dear!"

He stared at her and then down to the Varix watch on his left wrist. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Oh!" Ron gasped. "Harry's never traveled by Floo Powder, mum. Sorry Harry!"

Mr. Weasley looked ready to begin another questioning when Mrs. Weasley hushed him and gestured to Ron. Ron took some of the black powder out of the pot and tossed it into the flames. The reddish, orange fire suddenly turned green!

"Diagon Alley!" yelled Ron before stepping into the flames!

Fred and George mimicked him immediately, their flames going much higher than Ron's had.

"See?" Mrs. Weasley smiled. "It's perfectly safe. And make sure to speak very clearly."

Harry took some of the powder.

"Don't fidget, close your eyes, and have your arms tucked in," warned Percy with a knowing look. "Got lost in the wrong fireplace too many times to count."

"'Wrong fireplace'?" Harry repeatedly with worry.

"You'll be fine, don't worry."

With that 'reassurance' Harry tossed the powder into the flames and stepped into the fire that thankfully wasn't burning him to death, and sadly coughed, "Di-Diagon Alley!" He got the soot in his mouth and it tasted gross.

There was spinning. Unholy spinning. He was being pulled downward by some unseen force. When he tried to see what was happening, he became ill from all the swirling around him. He was going to vomit. Like going down the drain in a sink or a bathtub.

And just as it was getting worse, he was thrust forward, falling into something extremely cold and hard. His glasses, frail as they were, slammed into the floor and broke on contact.

He never wanted to do that ever again. He'd just ask Varix to take him back to the Burrow because he was never getting into a fireplace ever again. He got to his feet, though swaying a bit. He could see his glasses and could only make out the fuzzy shapes in the dark room.

Varix appeared with a  _pop_  beside him.

She snapped her fingers and handed him his repaired glasses. "We're getting you new ones. Those are hideous and dorky. You look like a dweeb. Or you could wish your eyes fixed."

His jaw dropped. "You can  _do_  that?"

"Yep. It's not against the rules."

"I wish that I had perfect vision."

She snapped her fingers and just like that, the fuzz became crystal clear. He'd never seen this well before. Never mind that the room he was in was old and creepy, he was amazed at the clarity around him. The detail in the wood of the bookcase to his left!

"Thank you!" he breathed happily.

"No trouble," she shrugged. "Now, I think we should get out of here."

Harry was about to nod, when the door on the far side of the room, opened, ringing a bell. Varix slapped a hand over his mouth and snapped her fingers. "Disillusion. No one can see us," she whispered lowly.

Cool.

Hey! Maybe that was how Dumbledore had sneaked up on him while he watched the Mirror of Erised! He needed to learn how to do it too.

The person who entered what Harry realized was a shop, was none other than Draco Malfoy, with a man who looked very much like him, in toe. The man had the platinum blonde hair, but it was long and straight, not gelled back like Draco's was.

The man wore black dress robes and walked with a fanciful cane. He warned Draco not to touch anything, before greeting the greasy looking man who came to the counter.

The man was unctuous and so false it made Harry's head spin. He was coy, but Mr. Malfoy didn't fall for it. He was trying to get rid of some artifacts that would get him in trouble with the Ministry.

A few minutes of talking and drawing up a schedule for Mr. Borgin to pick up some things from Malfoy Manor, and Draco whining about wanting a new broom and how Harry had a better one and that he wasn't as good at quidditch as people said he was.

Harry stuck his tongue out childishly, though he knew they couldn't see him. Malfoy was just jealous. Prat.

When the three wizards were gone, Varix pulled him out the door and down the long, cobblestone street. "This is Knockturn Alley," she murmured. "While not as bad a place as some people would try to tell you, it is known for having more less than reputable people walking around. Stick close."

After a while of walking, dodging smarmy looking people left and right, she turned them into a new road and up ahead, Harry could see the great whiteness that was Gringotts!

Varix snapped her fingers.

"We're safe now. Go on."

His 'watch' appeared again.

He hurried along, coming out toward the large white steps of the grand building. And who should be standing at the top? None other than Hermione Granger of course. She was all smiles and flying, bushy hair from the moment she saw him.

"Harry!"

She threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. She had grown a bit and was actually taller than him by a little. He was too short!

"Are you by yourself?"

"I got lost in the Floo," he mumbled, flushing a bit. "I came out in Knockturn Alley."

"HARRY!"

The pre-teens turned to see Mrs. Weasley darting up the street as fast as her legs could takes her. Behind her, was most of the Weasley brood, minus Percy and Ginny. She wrapped her arms around Harry the moment she was close enough.

"Thank goodness! Where did you come up?!"

"A Place called Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley."

By the time the others caught up, they could hear Mrs. Weasley fretting over the dangers of the alley and being glad that he made it out of there safely. Fred and George asked for details and Ron moaned about how they weren't allowed in there.

While Mr. Weasley asked after his health, his wife pulled a large brush from her handbag and began dusting Harry off. He was covered head to foot in soot.

"Where are your glasses, Harry dear?" she asked, looking frantic.

"Varix fixed my eyes, Mrs. Weasley. I don't need them anymore."

"That's a relief. And your eyes are so lovely too, dear. Just like your mother's," Mrs. Weasley smiled.

Harry's stomach felt warm. He didn't know that. His eyes were like his mum's. There wasn't much detail in the photo album Hagrid had given him and the Mirror of Erised was always dark because he visited in the dark.

"Well, now that we're here, we might as well go to Gringotts!" Mr. Weasley said cheerfully.

Inside, they met up with Hermione's parents, who were looking around a bit nervously.

Hermione proudly shoved he and Ron in front of her parents and jabbered away excitedly telling them that they were her friends who 'saved her life and everything'.

The Grangers were very kind and Mrs. Granger even pried Harry's mouth open to check his teeth, she was a dentist after all.

"Your cuspids are very sharp and your teeth are well taken care of. I've never seen teeth so straight!" she smiled. The woman gave him a tight squeeze and said, "And thank you for saving my baby."

He flushed. "I-It was the right thing to do."

Ron's ears blended into his hair when the woman cuddled him as well.

Mr. Weasley stole their attention away, already burning with questions about Muggle money.

Varix appeared beside him, making Hermione and Ron jump. She waved at them before turning to Mrs. Weasley. They talked lowly for a moment, before something passed hands between them.

Varix slung an arm around his shoulders. "We need to talk to your account manager. It won't take too long."

He waved to his friends, promising to explain later.

"I assume you haven't been told of your duties?" Varix asked as they neared the podium at the end of the room.

"What?" he asked nervously. He had duties?

"As the last Potter, you are the Potter Heir. Probably heir to other lines too. Your line was once pureblooded before your father married your mother. There is an old history. Probably older than that Malfoy boy from earlier."

She stepped up to the podium and cleared her throat. The Goblin leaned over the edge, it's beady eyes losing some edge when they landed on Varix.

"My Fairy Godson would like to speak with his account manager, sir."

"And your godson is…?" the Goblin drawled.

"Mr. Harry Potter," Varix said, holding out his Vault Key!

The Goblin accepted the small piece of gold and looked it over. He then turned and whistled, alerting a nearby Goblin at once. "Take Mr. Potter and his Fairy Godmother to Silverfang's office."

He handed the key back and the two bowed before following the new Goblin. Harry recognized him immediately and waved, "Hello, Griphook."

The Goblin stared and Varix sent him an amused look. "You remember his name?" she asked, sounding insultingly shocked.

"Yes."

"Wizards don't usually bother to remember Goblin names," she told him.

"That's rude," he frowned, nose wrinkling in distaste. How bad were wizards?

She gave a laugh, "Indeed."

They continued on their way.

Silverfang was an older Goblin who got right down to business the moment they arrived and Harry thanked Griphook for leading them there.

"I've been trying to contact you for years, Heir Potter-Black."

"I've only been to Gringotts once before, sir. I only found out I was a wizard on my eleventh birthday."

Silverfang did not look pleased.

"You never received correspondence from us?"

"My first letter was my Hogwarts letter, sir."

"Then someone has been tampering with your mail," the Goblin growled, rifling through the parchment on his desk. "All statements and updates have been completely unknown to you. Do you even know what power you possess financially?"

Varix stepped in then. "He knows nothing at all. Forced to live with Muggles who neglect him."

"I'm  _not_  neglec-"

"You  _are_. And any neglected or abused kid would deny the facts even though they are right in front of them. It's a defense mechanism and it doesn't work with me," she interrupted. Then, looking at Silverfang, "They treat him like a House Elf."

The Goblin did not look pleased.

"Then we must rectify this situation immediately. I'll require Heir Potter-Black to drink a potion that will give every piece of information about his recent lineage and current status."

Varix smiled reassuringly, "It'll just tell you how much money you have and who your ancestors are. It'll be fine."

He relaxed and accepted the vial the Goblin handed him.

He chugged it back, feeling it tingle in his throat.

Varix was looking up, so was Silverfang. Harry looked up too, seeing words appear above his head. They were bright green.

**Harry James Potter**

**Parents:**   _James Charlus Potter, Lily Anne Potter nee` Evans, Sirius Orion Black III(through blood adoption)._

**Status:**   _Halfblood._

**Heir Potter, Heir Black.**

**Potter Main Vault 688:**   _3,000,000,000 Galleons, 4,000 Sickles, 52 Knuts._

**Heir Potter-Black's Potter Trust Vault 687:**   _100, 000,750 Galleons._

**Black Main Vault 812:**   _0 Galleons, 0 Sickles, 0 Knuts._

**Heir Potter-Black's Black Trust Vault 811:**   _25,000,000 Galleons._

**Boy-Who-Lived Trust Vault 1001:**   _3,000,000 Galleons, 247,009,983 Sickles, 4 Knuts._

**Residences:**   _Potter Manor, Cornwall. Grimmauld Place, London. Merry Berry Cottage, Godric's Hollow(national monument). Winsidor Keep, Edinburgh. Black Villa, Russia._

**Guardians:**   _Petunia Dursley nee` Evans. Sirius Orion Black III(imprisoned godfather). Værix̂ Tɛmpaʊð(fairy godmother)._

"Who is Sirius Black?" Harry asked, looking at the name cautiously.

"The Ministry arrested him for the murder of twelve Muggles, his friend Peter Pettigrew, and for the supposed betrayal of your family to the Dark Lord. However there was never a trial so we cannot truly tell if this is truth or not." Silverfang answered.

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Yes."

"The wizarding world is messed up."

"Indeed. Now, these will tell you of your duties. I suggest visiting Potter Manor in order to collect the proper books to educate you on how pureblood heirs are to act. You have many businesses that your family name is connected to and I've been making investments in you place for the past eleven years. Study the information on it all, closely. I'm sure your fairy godmother will assist you," Silverfang said, handing over a lot of parchment.

"The rings will allow you to enter any of the residences listed above you. Say the name and the ring will take you there. Specialized Portkeys if you will. They also allow you into any vaults of yours. You donot need the key, just show your rings."

Harry took the two rings and looked up expectantly.

"One on each index finger," instructed Varix.

"Thanks."

"Please note that you cannot remove anything from the main vaults in your possession until you reach your majority. Your trust funds are fine however."

"Thank you, sir."

"We need to set up a new mailing system if your mail from us is being watched."

"I'll help," Varix volunteered with a raised hand. "Just call my name, 'Varix' and I'll hear you."

"Will do," Silverfang agreed. "Heir Potter-Black, Griphook will take you to your chosen vault now. It's been a pleasure."

"Thank you, sir."

Varix led him to the door, but Harry turned back and smiled a little, "Have a nice day."

They left the gaping Goblin in the office.

Griphook took them down to Vault 687, one of Harry's trust vaults.

"How much should I take?" he asked Varix, since Hagrid hadn't really been helpful the previous year.

"Do you want new clothes, already used clothes, do you intend to buy normal clothes for when you don't have classes? Are you buying anything new? Do you have an idea in mind for snacks?"

Harry groaned and took the bag he'd used last time, from his pocket. It was made by the bank and was larger inside than it appeared on the outside. Magic was amazing.

Harry ended up grabbing a thousand Galleons and some Sickles and Knuts as well, just in case. He didn't know how prices were because Hagrid had him by secondhand things the past year.

"We're all set," Varix smiled at Griphook who grunted.

"Griphook, can the carts go faster?" Harry asked, feeling his adrenaline rush like in quidditch.

The Goblin gave a toothy smirk and the cart shot off, much faster than it had been before. Harry giggled the whole way.

* * *

Harry ended up buying a lot of clothing because he didn't have any and needed some that actually fit him. His uniform was easy. It was everything else, even the pants, that was difficult.

Varix dragged him into Twilfitt and Tattings for his normal clothes, getting only the best of the best because he was too used to rags and she wanted him to look good. He spent a quarter of his money on clothes alone.

Next was wasted on school supplies and back up quills and inkwells at Scribbulus Writing Instruments. He got Hedwig a canister of owl treats at Eeylops Owl Emporium. He bought a large assortment of sweets from Sugarplum's Sweets Shop. He needed to be stocked up for the upcoming term.

Harry's most expensive item came from Quality Quidditch Supplies. He couldn't help himself, but Varix said he deserved to splurge every once and a while so he didn't feel all too bad. Besides, he'd just donate his other to the Gryffindor team.

Be bought the newest broom, the Nimbus 2001. It cost one hundred Galleons, but it was worth it. It was green, black, and silver! And he really liked it.

Just because he could, he also bought Ron a Chudley Cannons Jersey that was signed by their Seeker, Dragomir Gorgovitch. That should make his day.

Harry's last trip was to Flourish and Blotts because he'd been avoiding it. Apparently, Gilderoy Lockhart was there signing books and the entire shop was filled with witches. Giggling girls up and down the street. It was annoying.

And when he got there, Hermione with standing with Mrs. Weasley, staring at the man in powder blue robes like he was a god or something.

Ron caught his eyes and huffed, "I don't see what's so great about him. Do you see his teeth? They bloody sparkle! Literally!"

It was truth. Harry would swear that he was nearly blinded by the whiteness of those teeth, all large and ridiculously straight.

"I don't like him," groused Ron.

"Neither do I."

"Git. And look at Ginny, she's doing it too!"

Indeed, like every other woman in the shop, Ginny was smiling at Lockhart too.

A man with a large camera entered the shop, parting the crowd while announcing that he was with the Daily Prophet. He made it all the way up to the front and proceeded to take photographs of the beaming blonde man.

And then… it all went to hell.

Lockhart glanced in Harry's direction and his entire body snapped toward Harry's, eyes fixed on him intently. It was creepy and it made him a little uneasy.

"I can't be, Harry Potter?!"

Harry hated him.

All those people were looking at him now.

He was grabbed by the sleeve and pulled forward until he was at the front of the crowd. Lockhart pulled him in, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and smiling brightly for the camera. "Nice big smile. Harry. We're worth the front page."

Harry did not smile.

And not once did he react when the man announced that he'd be the new DADA professor. Or when he handed Harry his entire collection of works for free. He was released and made his way back to the Weasley's, depositing everything into little Ginny's cauldron. "You can have them, I'm all set."

He was not buying any of those books.

He'd borrow Ron or Hermione's but not personally, would he ever own them.

And then Malfoy appeared, unwanted like always. He made some snide remarks, Hermione put him in his place. His father then showed up and he got into a fight with Mr. Weasley. Literally a fight. Fists and everything involved.

They knocked over a bookcase which had nearly landed on Ginny had Harry not pulled her out of the way. Though the jostling had her drop her cauldron. Harry helped pick up the scattered books, leafing through the mess to help her out. Once everything was right as rain, he grabbed Ron and Ginny and pulled from them from the shop to get away from the angered salesman.

Hermione joined them a moment later and Harry's decided to take them to Fortescue's across the way until the hullabaloo passed.

An hour later, they said their goodbyes, Harry and the Weasley's returning to the Burrow - Harry by Varix - and Hermione and her parents to the muggle world.

Ron loved his jersey.

Dinner was amazing like usual.

Harry secretly went about the house, stashing Galleons in random places, trying to pay for the food he'd been eating. They'd be found when Mrs. Weasley was cleaning and no one would know.

Varix shook her head but didn't say anything.

Not that anything would change his mind.

He didn't want to be a burden.

Harry went to bed feeling a lot better.

He was looking forward to the remaining days of the summer holiday and his return to Hogwarts, his home.

* * *

**A/N: Another is done.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -In case anyone didn't notice, Mrs. Weasley is not pleased with Harry having a fairy godmother. It's not because she doesn't like Varix, its because children who qualify for a fairy godparent are usually abused or neglected. The fact that Harry has one is proof that his life isn't all sunshine and roses like people have been led to believe.
> 
> -Remember, Varix can travel to any time in the mortal realm of earth and she mentioned living in America for a while until 2017. She knows the future of the wizarding world already.
> 
> -Also, I mentioned that Varix is severely tanned with a purple dress, no shoes, green and black wings, and violet eyes. I didn't add this last chapter but I will now. The human who is exactly what I want Varix to look like is Lilly Singh 'iisuperwomanii', a comedian and Youtube personality who is amazing!
> 
> -Varix has lived long and skipped a lot of classes to chill in the mortal realm. She knows things and that's why she took Harry to Gringotts.
> 
> -Værix̂ Tɛmpaʊð.- V-ah-ricks T-eh-m-pow-th. I took the name Varius and I made a feminine form that seems fairy like. It means 'versatile'. I twisted the word tempest to make her last name.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry fixes his understanding. Potter Manor is explored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life at the Weasleys!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. THE LINK IS BELOW. I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Harry stared at the collection of books that he was going to be using for the school year and looked to Varix in horror. "Why do I have to read them now?"

Varix plopped into the bed she's summoned for him and stashed in Ron's room. "Because it'd be best for you to know stuff ahead of time. I did it a lot so I could skip the classes that were useless." She was grinning, staring off into space. Her head snapped back to him though and she looked serious, "Not that you should skip class or anything! Don't follow my bad examples!"

"But… I won't remember any of it," Harry mumbled, refusing to look at her.

"Huh?"

"I can't remember the stuff I read. Hermione had to help me study because I had a hard time. She had to read things to me, because my reading doesn't help."

Varix chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "A more hands on and auditory learner then. Okay. I suppose we could sharpen your retention and understanding skills. If you wish for better retention and understanding, you'll be able to process things better. If you want something like an eidetic memory you'll-"

"What's that?" he interrupted, having never heard the term before.

"Uh… photographic memory?"

"Oh!"

"Now, if you want an advanced version of that, called Hyperthymesia, we'd have to work on your mental capacity. You don't just go from not understanding anything to suddenly getting it all. You'll get horrible migraines from that. So start small with the retention and understanding and we'll go from there."

"What's hyperthi- hypetha- that big word you used?" Harry asked, embarrassed when he could remember it.

"Human Muggles have determined that when you can remember everything in vivid detail, meaning sounds, words, scenes, things like that, it is called Hyperthymesia. It mean  _excessive remembering_. The highest form of long term memory. A blessing and a burden."

"How do you remember all this?"

"I have an autobiographical memory. Semantic. I remember all knowledge and facts that I learn. Some stuff I tried to forget, but that didn't work out too well for me. I gave up years ago," she shrugged. "But it allows me to help you, so it can't be all that bad!"

Harry had to think about it. He was sure that he didn't want to remember every day of his life in vivid detail. That sounded annoying. Like, the moment something reminded him of his past and he wouldn't be able to stop remembering what happened? No thanks!

As for the semantic memory thing, that one sounded nice. He'd like to be able to not bother Hermione for help all the time. She had things to do and still found time to help him all because he was so pathetic he couldn't do it on his own.

"I wish my retention and understanding were extremely sharp."

Varix smiled and snapped her fingers.

Harry's head tingled a bit. He shook himself off.

"Now get to steppin' kid!"

* * *

Ron was a little put out that Harry had to go somewhere without him, but Harry quickly remedied that by telling him to take the Nimbus 2000 out for the time. The redhead was fine after that.

"Where are we going?"

"To visit your ancestor's home. Touch your Potter Ring and say Potter Manor and you will be taken there. Call my name when you reach it and I will appear."

Harry shrugged and placed a finger on the ring's face. "Potter Manor."

It was worse than the Flooing from the other day! His body was being yanked somewhere. Not back or forward. More like inward. Like someone attached a hook to his navel and was trying to pull all of him inward. And then he was spinning and he found himself roughly deposited on the ground, no surprise there.

He rolled over and pushed himself to his feet. That was horrible. Was every form of magical travel so bad?

He remember Varix and called her name. She popped beside him a second later.

"Nice digs," she said looking at something behind him.

Harry whirled around to find a very large house behind a big, black gate. The gate was wrought-iron and there was Ivy growing up the individual spokes, all along the perimeter. Quite a ways from the gates was a long driveway leading up to the front of the beautiful house.

There were double doors with large silver engravings that covered the black of the doors. The entire building except for the roof, was made of grey stone that glistened in the sunlight. There were high windows on every floor- all seven of them. The windows arched in a gothic style. There was a tower on the far, right side of the manor, with one window. On the left side, a large building made mostly of iron lining and wide windows was only connected to the manor by a small chunk of bricks.

"Wow, it even has a conservatory," Varix commented.

"Huh?"

"Greenhouse, sorry."

"Oh."

It was very opulent. Harry felt that it had a certain old world charm. It also vaguely reminded him of Hogwarts. Large gates, the structure of the building, the tower, the greenhouse, the grounds sweeping with trees and vegetation. A small lake in the distance. The only big difference was that there was Ivy crawling across the massive building from right to left.

He liked it.

"You should be able to walk right through the gates as you are a Potter. If there are House Elves that serve your family, they will appear."

Varix gestured for him to go and he did, slowly. He tested the gates by placing his hand out and slowly pushing it forward. When it slid through through the gates - much like Platform 9 3/4 - he stepped all the way through and gasped at the cool feeling that traveled down his spine.

There was a scattering of pops and Harry was surrounded by House Elves who were watching him with bright eyes, long ears flapping wildly.

"Master Potter!" greeted the Elf in front. She, like all the other Elves, worse a grey shirt that reached her knees. On the center was a large black P. "I'm Winnie, sir. Head Elf of Potter Manor! We've been waiting to meet you!"

The other Elves nodded quickly.

"I'm sorry, I only just learned about Potter Manor the other day," said Harry sheepishly. He felt bad.

"My fairy godmother took me to Gringotts and Silverfang told me to come here."

Harry waved at Varix, who stepped through the gate now that she had permission. She smiled at the Elves.

"He was left with Muggles," she clarified for the confused Elves.

"What about Mister Black?" Winnie asked.

"In prison, though he was never convicted for what they claim he did. If he was convicted of a crime he truly committed, he wouldn't still be listed as Harry's secondary guardian. Magic wouldn't allow it. But the Ministry of Magical Britain is full of idiots so it's not a shock. Also, we can't find out the truth without proof for the right to an inquiry and those can be hell to a hold of."

Varix looked at Harry, "I don't want to hear you cursing until you are fourteen. After that, go ahead."

He nodded seriously. He wasn't really thinking of the bad words she used anyway.

Winnie was wringing her left ear. "Who is to be Master Harry's guardian then?"

Varix raised her hand. "I along with his mother's sister and Sirius Black are all listed as guardians. Since he wasn't convicted and legally found guilty of a crime, he's still Harry's guardian. However, I am also listed as a guardian." She turned a devilish smile in Harry's direction. "And do you know what this means, young grasshopper?"

"No."

He really didn't.

"It means that as I am your other free guardian, I am within legal right to take care of you. That means you don't have to go back to Privet Drive next year!"

The implications of it hit Harry mere seconds after she said it. He was free. Free of the Dursleys! Free forever!

He didn't have to go back!

Not caring in the least, Harry threw his arms around the fairy, hugging her for all he was worth. So much had changed in just two short weeks. And it was totally because of her!

Varix patted his head, "Come on kid, don't you want to see your ancestral home?"

"Yeah," he sniffed secretly, hoping his eyes weren't watering.

Winnie jumped a bit. "Winnie can show Master Harry and his fairy the manor!"

Winnie took Harry by the hand and dismissed the other Elves. She dragged him up to the manor and through the double doors that opened inward.

The East and West Wings were vast. The first and second salons were obviously high class and meant for entertaining important guests. The third and fourth salons weren't so splendorous and they lacked vitality.

The corridors were furnished with portraits and paintings. People that looked similar to Harry. A rendering of Hogwarts sat as the centerpiece on the third floor. The carpets were black and silver and from the ceilings drooped fanciful chandeliers made of diamond and crystal according to Winnie.

The South Tower was home to the master bedroom. The living quarters came complete with an upgraded lavatory as well as a large built in closet, a drawing room, and even a owlery at the top. There was a smaller tower on the north side that was for studying astronomy and astrology. The greenhouse was vibrant with attention grabbing plants. Some even moved on their own!

Harry adored the kitchen above all other things. Not the gardens, not the maze in the back, not the acres of land that were walled in and protected so that Muggles and other magicals couldn't find the manor. No, the kitchen was amazing.

Island counters everywhere! The appliances! He couldn't wait to cook something, this is, if the Elves let him. They seemed very set on their ways, but maybe he could strike up a deal or something.

He didn't stop himself from giving Varix another hug, just because he felt that she was the cause for it all. Mentally he knew that that wasn't the case but he was so happy he could probably dance on air if he tried!

Not that he would try.

* * *

Harry found the main study with help from Winnie. He also found all the books he needed conveniently placed within reach for his short stature. He was thankful that Varix had him wish for better retention because the books were huge and it was going to take time to read all five of them. And he already had to read his school books as well!

Varix refused to relent on the subject, saying that he 'had to learn'.

Also, Harry met his grandparents' portrait, which was in the first salon.

Charlus and Dorea Potter.

Charlus was gruff and a bit old fashioned, but Dorea was excitable and she seemed a little mad. Her eyes - even in portrait form - held some form of chaotic awareness that mildly unnerved him. Like Hermione when she heard that the library would be close for a week mid-Easter last term.

"Who are you?" the old man demanded when Winnie led he and Varix into salon number one. The old woman however, reached over from her seat beside him and cuffed him upside the head.

"Be nice! He's obviously a Potter. Do you see that hair of yours?! But he has my bone structure, obviously the good looks of the Black family had rubbed off on him." She turned her mad eyes on Harry. "You're Jimmy's boy, aren't you?"

Winnie nodded her head. "Yes Mistress, this is young Master Harry!"

Charlus - who was wearing glasses much like Harry's old pair, the same that James had worn in the photographs Harry has seen of him - peered at Harry over the rim of his glasses. "I suppose, though the eyes are different, much like the Muggleborn's were."

Dorea smacked his arm. "There was nothing wrong with her blood!"

"Maybe not  _her_  blood but her sister's," the man huffed. "I had never been more insulted."

"Some Muggles are bad, but not all, Charlie! And Lily was a sweetheart. And remember how Jimmy pined for her for years but was always thwarted because Lily was friends with that Snape boy?" Dorea sighed.

That stuck out to Harry immediately. "My mum was friends with Snape?"

How? Why? What about the snarky Potions Master was friendly?

"Jimmy complained about it all the time. He was so angry to learn that they were friends before Hogwarts and he tried to destroy their friendship all the time. He finally succeeded in their fifth year, but that didn't mean that Lily was suddenly interested in him. Your father was quite the bully in his day and I can't even remember how many times we had to go to the school because he did something to the poor Snape boy," Dorea rolled her eyes. "Not that the Snape boy didn't get revenge. Truly Slytherin revenge too! Even with their friendship ended, Lily wouldn't look at Jimmy until the end of their seventh year."

His dad was a bully? Was that why Snape didn't like Harry? Because of what his father did to the man? That wasn't fair! Why was he blamed for his dad's mistakes! It was just like Petunia hating him for being his mum's son and having magic! Adults were so immature!

With his mood ruined, he was a bit rude to the people who were his grandparents. But could he really be blamed when finding out that his father was a bully - something he despised - Snape was friends with his mother, his father ruined their friendship somehow and it turned Snape into the greasy git he was today, and Snape blamed whatever it was on Harry because he was his father's son?

In fact, he thought he was handling it very well. When Dudley heard things he didn't like, he threw himself on the ground and rolled around while screaming himself hoarse. Harry liked to think he was better than that and had enough self control of refrain from raising his voice, crying, or rolling on the floor.

He was just a bit curt in his answering of their questions. Thankfully, Varix took over when they inquired over who she was.

"I'm his fairy godmother."

The following conversation was a bit confusing but he was able to determine that having a fairy godparent apparently wasn't good because only abused or neglected children of any species, earned fairy godparents. Charlus and Dorea were not pleased to learn of his life at the Dursleys. Charlus didn't seem to like Muggles much.

He huffed, annoyed that they were talking like he wasn't there!

"Don't worry, the midget will be learning his duties, I'll see to it."

"I am not a midget!" Harry protested, running a hand over the crown of his head. It wasn't his fault. Maybe his parents were short and he got the bad end of the stick.

"We have to get back to the Burrow if you want to help Molly with the cooking today. Say goodbye to your gramps and granny. You'll be seeing them again, soon."

He sighed. "Bye. Bye Winnie."

The Elf bowed. "Master Harry and Mistress Varix have been keyed into the manor's wards. Next time you both come, you will appear inside the gate."

"Thank you!"

* * *

While Harry and Ron were upstairs playing a lovely game of wizard's chess, Varix was downstairs with Molly.

Molly plopped something on the table and a glance over, showed a flowerpot, full of Galleons.

"Imagine my surprise to find all of these while cleaning these past few days!" the woman said in exasperation. "He wouldn't take them back if I asked, would he?"

Varix was already shaking her head. "No. Petunia was so horrible in raising him that he feels the need to 'pay his way' in everything. He's been terribly guilty since coming here because he felt that he was eating all of your food and taking up space. So he literally went around the other night before going to bed. It made him feel better." It wasn't like she was going to lie to the woman. She have seven children! She knew that that much gold didn't just happen to appear out of nowhere and she knew who was behind it too.

Molly tsked, "He's such a sweet boy too." She held up the Daily Prophet, where Harry was on the front page with Gilderoy Lockhart. Ugh. "Just look at how adorable he is!"

Harry was cute. Still had some pudge in his cheeks, but that was the only place on him with pudge. He was too thin everywhere else. Bony. His elbows were weapons in their own right.

"Well," Molly sighed. "I suppose I could let it slide this time. Do you think he'd like another jumper for Christmas or maybe a nice hat?"

"He adores the jumper you gave him last year and it still fits him perfectly. He cherishes it and makes sure to keep it protected. I think it was his first Christmas gift."

Molly took this news with sadness.

"The poor dear."

* * *

Harry managed to finish his school books by the end of the summer holidays and was amazed that he remembered a good portion of what he read. And by reading some parts more than once, he certainly remembered them. He felt smarter in a sense. A lot better too.

Ron was excited to go back to Hogwarts. He could eat all kinds of food as quickly as possible. Harry just wanted to go home.

Unfortunately, the night before was hectic. The house was full of bustling redheads who were shouting questions and statements for each other across rooms and down the stairwell. ' _Where is that comic with the Piggety Wiggety on the front?_ ', ' _Can't find my dungbombs, Fred, you got them?_ ', ' _Where's my Prefect badge?!_ ', which was followed immediately by Fred and George's ' _Who cares?_ ', and finally, ' _My diary!_ '.

Everything settled around ten when they all went to bed.

Come morning, it turned out that they all slept in.

The Hogwarts Express left at eleven in the morning. They awoke at nine and it would take an hour or more to get there.

It was chaos. Even with all of the preparing the night before, it seemed as if everybody still forgot something important. Ginny was stranded on the stairs as the taller people in the house moved in front of and behind her, cutting her off. Harry finally took pity on her and grabbed her hand top pulled her down to the kitchen with him.

Ron was at the table, stuffing his face with toast.

Mrs. Weasley was flittering about, mumbling underneath her breath. Ginny ran out the door.

Harry looked around and Varix popped in next to him, looking refreshed.

"Need something?" she asked, looking around at the chaos.

"I wish everyone would find what they need."

She snapped her fingers and a chorus of triumphant yells rang throughout the house.

"Thank you."

"No prob." She turned into the 'watch'.

Mrs. Weasley came in, a smile finally on her face after the rough morning they all had.

There were piles of luggage by the door, the initials of their owners the only thing denoting whom they belonged to. They all looked the same. Mr. Weasley came in and grabbed the nearest trunks, turning for the door.

Harry peered out the window, seeing an old car. It was sky blue and was well taken care of. A Ford Anglia. It was nice. But Harry watched Ron's dad go back and forth and was amazed to see that all of the luggage plus Scabbers' cage, fit in the boot. Varix was holding onto Hedwig's cage in one of her bags.

He couldn't help himself and went over to have a look. It was like the money purse from Gringotts. Expanded on the inside. Mr. Weasley sent him a wink, "So spacious, isn't it?!"

Mrs. Weasley was shooing everyone out of the house. She waved her wand at the door and Harry saw a small ripple pass over the house.

"Lockdown," Varix murmured from the watch. She usually stayed out of sight of most of the Weasleys, except the adults. Percy and Ginny didn't even know about her yet.

"Into the car! Ginny, up front with me!" Mrs. Weasley hollered for them all to hear.

Harry wasn't shocked to see that the side of the car had been magically expanded as well. The boys all fit in the back seat without issue and even had enough leg room! Ginny was in between her parents in the front seat.

They took off for the highway.

Mr. Weasley was trying to make a good argument. Apparently he enchanted the car a lot. It could fly and turn invisible! He said they didn't have time to make it to King's Cross and that if he could just fly them on over, no one would notice. Mrs. Weasley was so angry she was spitting, but she gave a jerky nod.

Mr. Weasley grinned and pushed a button. He then shifted gears and the car ascended and it went fast!

Harry, feeling a bit worried just in case, murmured a low wish for them to remain invisible to muggles and any other magicals just to be safe.

They had five minutes when they reached the station. Varix had all of their belongings in proper order by the time they all got out of the car. They rushed!

Percy, Fred, and George went first. Mrs. Weasley took Ginny through the barrier. Mr. Weasley gave Harry and Ron a nod and followed his wife and children.

"Together?" Harry asked.

"Together," Ron agreed.

Just as they were going to run for it, Varix's voice stopped them.

"Wait!"

They halted instantly.

"I sense House Elf magic. That damn Dobby did something!" A feeling of warmth surrounded Harry and Varix popped up beside him. He looked around frantically, expecting the Muggles to react, but no one did. She must have hidden them again. Cool.

She was touching the barrier, snapping her fingers repeatedly. "Damn House Elves. Their magic is so obscure that even I can't undo this." She sent the boys a look, "You know what to do, Harry."

Harry nodded. "I wish that Ron and I along with all of our belongings, were in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express."

_Snap_.

They disappeared. When Harry could see again, he was sitting quite comfortably in a compartment, with Ron sitting across from him. They trunks were on the racks above them. Scabbers was in his cage, sitting to Ron's right.

Varix wasn't with them.

The train was already moving. It wasn't even in the station anymore.

"Glad we made it," Ron smiled. "I was thinking of using the car to get there!"

"Wouldn't your parents know how to Apparate there?" Harry asked, using a term he remembered from his 'reading ahead' in order to 'laze off' later. That was Varix's plan in any case.

Speaking of her, Harry's 'watch' appeared on his wrist.

He looked down and was amazed to see a tiny little fairy appear on the face of the watch. It waved. "Molly and Arthur know how you got on so they won't be running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"Thank you."

"Meh, it's what I'm here for." Varix jumped, "Someone's coming! Act natural!"

Ron immediately slouched into his seat and Harry remained where he was.

"That's acting natural for you two?" came Varix's incredulous voice. "I hate to see what it's like when you're actually in your elements!"

"Shush!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Their compartment door opened to reveal none other than Hermione.

"Oh thank goodness! I didn't see either of you on the platform! Mrs. Weasley was frantic with worry!"

"Varix had to help because the barrier wouldn't work," Harry explained.

"Why?"

Harry leaned in, face full with animation. "Remember when I told you about Dobby? Apparently, he tried to prevent me from getting on the train."

"But why is it so important? If it doesn't involve You-Know-Who, what could be a danger to you?"

Ron coughed to get their attention. "A lot, Hermione. A lot of things just sitting around the school can be. The Dark Forest. Fluffy. Mum even told me that the statues in the entrance hall can come alive with a spell and they'll attack if told to!"

"Okay, besides all of that."

"He could fall down the stairs, he could get hit with a wrong spell, he could get targeted by other murderers, McGonagall's death glare could do the trick."

"I get it Ronald!"

"Just saying!"

Harry grinned the whole time. He loved his friends.

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Remember, Varix looks like Lilly Singh.
> 
> -I named Winnie after Winnie the Pooh. Sue me.
> 
> -Varix is lazy. I am as well. In school, I always read ahead and did the assignments ahead of time. Like a month of assignments ahead of time so I could sleep longer. So I had her teach Harry my 'work hard now, don't work later' method.
> 
> -Mrs. Weasley is badass. She knows everything.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varix takes charge. Snape plays a prank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Hogwarts!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

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* * *

Minerva McGonagall looked around the Great Hall and huffed, mouth tightening sternly. She looked to her fellow Heads of House as they congregated near the back of the Great Hall, toward the points canisters.

"Where is Gilderoy?" she asked, trying not to sound so annoyed.

Pomona Sprout snorted, "Are you sure that he hasn't gone to fluff his hair once again?"

"He's done it four times already."

"So?" Filius Flitwick shrugged. "This is Gilderoy we are talking about."

Severus Snape sneered, "He insisted upon sharing his shampoo with me, even after I explicitly warned him away. I dumped some Devil's Apron in his tea in return."

Pomona gave him a confused look, "Aren't nettles a laxative?"

"So they are," Severus stated, not looking ashamed in the least.

Filius and Pomona chuckled and Minerva sent the Head of Slytherin House a playful glare.

"For shame, Severus."

"No," he disagreed. "For revenge."

* * *

The night sky was clear of any clouds, allowing the full moon to shine without remorse. The Black Lake was illuminated perfectly with the lights from the castle reflecting off the water.

Leaving Hogsmeade's station and walking a ways away to where all the older students were going, they found themselves faced with an enormous cluster of black carriages with little lanterns attached to the tailboards.

What got Harry's attention, were the large, winged horse things that were so dark in color, they blended into the night almost too well. He stared, because they didn't look healthy. Were they ill? Whatever they were.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, looking confused.

"Don't you see them?"

"See what?" she asked, looked around. Ron was on Harry's other side, mimicking her actions in worry.

"They're attached to the carriages," he explained. "You don't see them?"

"Harry?!"

The three Gryffindors looked over to see Fred and George making their way over.

"Why are you all standing around?" Fred - he was certain it was Fred at least - asked.

"Harry says there's something pulling the carriages, but we can't see them," Ron said, looking a bit spooked.

"The emaciated, winged horses, guys."

The twins shared a look of confusion. "You alright there, Harry?"

He was about to retort, when a familiar voice whispered across his eardrums.

"You're not going mad."

It was Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"They're called Thestrals. They can only be seen by people who have seen death and comprehended it. It's not a shock that you can see them, Harry," Oliver explained, looking forlorn.

A magical creature that could only be seen if someone saw someone die?

"So then, you saw someone…" he trailed off, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. That was an inappropriate question to ask! He was being so rude!

"My uncle seized in front of me when I was young and no one would listen when I called for help. He passed. I just find it sad that child as young as you and younger can see these creatures. The world is a spooky place."

They all looked down for a moment, before Percy's loud voice rang through the area.

"In the carriages! We're late!"

"Come on," Oliver said, gesturing to the nearest carriage.

Inside was much like Mr. Weasley's car. Expanded to fit nearly forty people. Harry realized that he shouldn't be shocked anymore. Magic was amazing and he loved it.

* * *

They all entered the Great Hall with smiles on their faces. Harry's mind was pulled away from the Thestrals in order to take a good look at the place he called home. It was good to be back.

Hermione took to the other side of the table in order to sit across from he and Ron. She had a book with her, no surprise there.

Just as they were sitting, Ron caught sight of something and pointed for Harry to look, "It's Lockhart!" he whispered in horror.

True enough, the git was sitting at the Head Table, right next to Professor Sprout, who did not looked pleased in the slightest. He was talking to her animatedly, but she didn't seem to be truly a part of the conversation. She probably found him annoying too.

A sigh came from Hermione. She was smiling at Lockhart like he'd just discovered the cure for Cancer or something.

"Snape doesn't look happy," remarked Ron.

"When is he ever happy?" replied Harry.

"When taking points from Gryffindor."

True.

Everyone settled down and fixed their eyes on the doors of the Great Hall, awaiting the Deputy Headmistress' entrance. She didn't disappoint. The Head of Gryffindor House strode in the moment those doors opened, leading a long line of awed first years into the room.

The Sorting Hat gave its song, much like the one from last year, and the school applauded. McGonagall began calling names. A few stood out. A blond boy with curly hair who was staring at Harry in amazement. Colin Creevey who made it into Gryffindor and immediately shook Harry's hand, smiling widely.

Luna Lovegood. She had hair lighter than even Malfoy's shade of blonde and wore strange radish like earrings and a cork like necklace. Also, her wand was tucked behind her one ear. She bounced forward and was placed in Ravenclaw immediately. She looked a bit dazed but maybe that was a natural look for her because she made her way to her table fine enough.

Ginny made it into Gryffindor before she even sat on the stool. She beat Malfoy who had been on the stool but the hat never touched him.

Dumbledore gave his start of term notices. Nothing much different from last year, except that the third floor was free to explore once more.

He then introduced Lockhart and there was applause from all of the witches in the student body. The wizards simply rolled their eyes and looked around, unimpressed.

The food appeared. Ron attacked with gusto.

Hermione, whose nose was deep in her copy of _Magical Me_ , gave another sigh. "Professor Lockhart is so brilliant! He says right here that in order to properly handle a ghoul, you need to-"

"You cast a stunner and then lock them in a tea canister with a proper banishing charm," Ron interrupted. "Mum read that passage out loud at least four times this summer. And it doesn't even work because ghouls would have to be transfigured first in order to fit inside a tea canister and the transfiguration would reverse after a while and your tea canister will break apart because the tiny ghoul got big again. We simply give our ghoul something he wants, which is usually chains. He only causes ruckus when no one in the house is making noises. That's what they do."

Harry was nodding, because he had indeed seen Mrs. Weasley beating herself up over not getting Lockhart's method correct. And Ron had been sent to quiet the ghoul down four times while Harry was at the Burrow and all he did was find the chains lying about the house and bring them back to the ghoul. Simple.

Hermione huffed. "You're just jealous Ronald. Professor Lockhart has done all of these amazing things in his books."

"No, he  _says_  that he's done them. If he actually manages to do anything worthwhile in class, maybe I'll take it back. But I don't believe him. Mum cried for an hour over not getting the instructions right and my mum is brilliant, so obviously he's wrong."

The two glared at each other. Harry simply scooped another helping of cranberry sauce and gravy into his plate of turkey. They fought like a married couple.

He paused, fork halfway to his mouth. Married couple. They'd be a couple in the future! He could see it happening.

When the meal was over, they were shooed off to bed. Percy took prominent position in front of them, walking very much like a peacock that was trying to show off. His Prefect badge was shining as it should be, since he spent hours shining it all summer.

'Wattlebird' was the new Gryffindor password. Who in their right mind came up with it?

He and Ron were already making their way up the the second year boy's dorms. There were 7 rooms for the second year boys, all surrounding the only bathroom in their dorm. Like a doughnut. Bathroom in the center with doorways from each room attached. Luckily, there were ten showers and ten cubicles.

Ron and Harry were in the same room thank Merlin. Their names were on the door along with Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan. So basically, the same from last year.

With a look, the boys all found their beds. Neville fell onto his because he tripped over his trunk.

Harry removed his watch and placed it on the table beside his bed.

Varix suddenly became an alarm clock.

He followed Ron's example and collapsed to his bed. He had the morning to shower. He'd do it then.

* * *

The next morning, Varix woke him at seven, giving him enough time to shower and get ready. Ron grumbled but the mention of food had him up and ready in seconds.

They met Hermione in the Common Room and made their way down together. Hermione was clutching _Voyages With Vampires_ , one of Lockhart's books, in her hand. Her bag was stocked enough and it couldn't fit. The boys sighed, knowing her infatuation wouldn't go away quickly like they had hoped.

The mail came rather early on and Neville was surrounded by packages. His chubby face turned a bright scarlet as he mumbled, "I forgot some things at home and Gran had to send them to me."

Harry was busy eating when a very bright flash went off, nearly blinding him. Colin Creevey from the night before, was standing on the other side of the table, a very large camera in hand. He was grinning.

"Hi Harry! I got a camera because I was told that is I brew a potion, I can make the photographs move! So I wanted my first moving photo to be of you!"

He was quite the excitable kid, that was for certain.

"That's… great, Colin."

To be honest, he didn't care in the least.

Colin nodded enthusiastically, before rushing off down the hall. Ron snorted, "Seems Ginny has competition."

"Oh sod off," Harry grumbled.

After breakfast, the 'golden trio' as some people had been calling them, headed from the Greenhouses where their first class of the term would start. They crossed the grounds, passed the vegetable patch and over to the collected group of students waiting for Professor Sprout to come and let them inside.

She came out from the castle, walking at a brisk pace. Behind her, was Lockhart, who was talking, like every time Harry even glanced in his direction. The stout woman looked ready to curse him, her hands were balled so tightly in front of her that they were nearly pure white.

Lockhart noticed the assembled students and flashed them a 'charming' smile that was all teeth. His lips thinned out in a creepy way in order to make way for the large, white monstrosities.

"Hello, there!" he called cheerfully. "I've just been telling Professor Sprout how to properly handle a Venomous Tentacula! I met one on one of my many travels around the globe!"

No one said anything. He was met with blank stares, mostly because no one knew what he was talking about. Sprout looked ready to keel over.

"Harry!" Lockhart's eyes lit up instantly. "I've been meaning to speak with you. You don't mind do you Professor Sprout -  _no?_  - thank you!"

Harry leveled the woman with a look of utter betrayal. She simply shrugged! Shrugged and ordered the class into the greenhouse they'd be using for class. She'd abandoned him… with Lockhart!

The blonde wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. The boy stiffened, uncomfortable with the sudden closeness between them.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Lockhart said, shaking his head just slightly. "Ever since our fated meeting in Flourish and Blotts I have made it my goal to speak with you again. As a fellow wizard who has more fame than most could imagine, I felt that you would need to learn the ropes. I'm going to give you some advice in swaying the masses, Harry." Lockhart gave a wink and added, "I know that you've been longing for more time in the spotlight and so I've generously decided to take you under my wing. A protege of sorts, really."

Harry's head was throbbing by the second time his name had been repeated. And the fool actually thought Harry cared about fame like he did?!

No, no, no.

Harry tried to pull away from those gleaming teeth, but Lockhart was deceptively strong. It was horrible.

"I'll be seeing you this Friday for our first meeting, Harry!" Lockhart grinned, throwing in a wink and sauntering away.

Harry fumed as he entered the greenhouse. He sent the professor as look of pure loathing and a promise of vengeance. She would get hers.

He slid into place between Hermione and Ron, looking at the table that was covered in pots of plants. In front of him lay a pair of earmuffs.

Professor Sprout smiled at them all. "Today, we'll be repotting Mandrakes. Who can tell me the properties of Mandrake Root?" she asked, eyes going to Neville and then to Hermione.

But Hermione wasn't the only one with her hand up this time. Harry's hand was up as well, which garnered the whispers of his fellow students, seeing as no one but Hermione ever knew anything first. Varix's study plan was helpful and Harry was able to understand most of what he read. And if he read it again, it came easier and easier every time!

The professor nodded to him, looking a bit shocked, "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Mandragora is a powerful restorative used in many antidotes and is able to cure those who are petrified, transfigured, or cursed, returning them to the state they were in before being cursed, petrified, or transfigured. The Mandrake - when matured - has the ability to kill with a single scream. A young Mandrake's lungs are not powerful enough to kill and will simply knock whomever is around, out for several hours."

Hermione's jaw dropped and Professor Sprout looked impressed.

"Excellent, Mr. Potter. Take ten points for Gryffindor!"

She gestured to the pots. "Our Mandrakes are seedlings, but I'd prefer you all to wear the earmuffs provided anyway. When you put them on, your ears must be  _completely_  covered!"

They nodded.

"Earmuffs on!"

There was a shuffle of movement and when all were good, she grasped the roots of the Mandrake and pulled it upward. It was uglier in person than in the art he'd seen in his book.

The class went at their own Mandrakes, Neville fainted mere seconds into the practice. No one moved to help him, sadly enough. Harry repotted his Mandrake quickly and moved to drag Neville out of the way of feet. He propped the boy up against one of the walls and left him to awaken on his own.

Not everyone had it as easy as Harry did. Ron's Mandrake was really fat and he had to hold it with two hands. Hermione's had grabbed dirt and flung it at her. Hannah Abbott's hair was being eaten by hers. She looked horrified!

One of the Hufflepuff students introduced himself to Harry as Justin Finch-Fletchley. He was a talkative sort and smiled widely the entire time. Apparently a smart one like Hermione but more reserved about it. He also seemed to have a crush on Lockhart.

To each his own.

After class, nearly everyone was covered in dirt. Harry, having a handy fairy godmother with him always, pulled Hermione and Ron into a small unused classroom on the first floor and wished for them to be clean, so they didn't have to rush up to Gryffindor Tower to get dressed again.

They had Transfiguration next and made it early. McGonagall was very strict as she waited for the class to assemble. They were going to be transfiguring beetles into buttons. To no one's surprise, Hermione got it on the first try, getting ten points to Gryffindor.

Harry's first try failed. So he attempted to think harder on it and tried again. That failed too. With a sigh, he tried to think of what the book had said about Transfiguration. You must want it to happen. It's not just waving a wand and saying some weird words that weren't fully derived from Latin. You had to envision it happening. You had to want it to happen. You had to  _feel_  it.

With this in mind, Harry tried the spell again, finally managing to get his brown and black beetle to become a small black button that was sprinkled with brown dots.

McGonagall gave him five points for being the second student to achieve the objects. She then told him to change it back. Hermione had already done so and earned more points. Harry set to the task, taking five tries before getting it. He then had to make as many buttons as possible by the end of class.

Ron's beetle was a fast mover. It spent a good portion of the class period running from Ron, but having nowhere to go in the limited desk space.

Ron was in a terrible mood by the end of class. Harry reminded him that they had lunch right after and the redhead's countenance lightened. Food. Lunch meant food. It was like he'd never eaten.

Hermione and Harry both had handfuls of shiny buttons.

"What if we put them in a pile and watch the chaos as they return to normal?" Harry proposed, thinking of the reactions to a bunch of beetles scuttling across the Gryffindor table.

Hermione huffed, "Lavender and Parvati would go spare. I'd rather not hear them whine tonight if you don't mind."

"Fine," he bit out a bit petulantly.

During lunch, Harry wondered aloud what their next class was. Hermione already had the answer. Lockhart. Ugh!

Harry and Ron were not looking forward to it.

After lunch, they went out into the courtyard in order to pass the time until their next class. Hermione was transfixed on  _Voyages With Vampires_  again and Ron and Harry played some Exploding Snap.

Colin Creevey appeared, smiling largely at Harry and asking for a signature.

"Huh?"

"So I can prove ultimately that I met you! And I really wanted my first moving photograph to be of you! If it wouldn't too much trouble at least." Colin said, face turning more red by the second. It clashed badly with his blonde hair.

"You're giving away autographed photos, Potter?"

Harry sent Malfoy, who had come strutting up to them like a peacock, a glare. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered like Malfoy had said something funny, which he hadn't.

"I am not, Malfoy."

The blonde wasn't listening and announced quite loudly that Harry was giving away signed photos to anyone who wanted one.

Colin told him to bugger off. Ron and Harry snorted. Yeah, the shy little thing suddenly became a mouthy idiot. Definitely a Gryffindor.

When Malfoy made a snide comment about Ron's family, Harry couldn't hold himself in anymore. "Say what you want about the Weasleys but at least the Ministry trusts them and doesn't conduct searches of their property all the time. At least Mr. Weasley doesn't have to take his son with him to arrange the disappearance of questionable artifacts in his care," Harry sneered, remembering that day in Knockturn Alley very well.

Malfoy's pale face went even paler. Several nearby Slytherins were staring at them now, some looking a bit shocked.

"What would you know Potter?" Malfoy glared.

"Honestly, I was standing in Borgin and Burke's when you and your father walked in. And all you did was clamor about wanting a gift and him telling you you'd be getting a broom. And you then tried to convince him that I wasn't as great a flier as people made me out to be. And apparently you'd been talking about me a lot throughout the summer holiday."

Malfoy's face flushed a bit. "Stuff it, Potter!"

"So you don't deny that you were talking about me all summer?" Harry teased, liking where the situation was going, for some reason.

Before Malfoy could respond, Lockhart swaggered into view, eyes lighting upon Harry instantly. "Hello, hello!" he called out, his turquoise robes glinting in the sunlight as he walked. "What's all this?"

Harry felt his vindictive side rear up and he fixed Lockhart with his most charming smile "It's Malfoy sir," he answered, making the blonde look at him strangely. "He was asking me for some advice about how to get his foot properly through the door, so to speak, but seeing as I'm relatively new at navigating the wonders of fame, I know that I don't have all the answers he needs. Perhaps you could help him, sir?" Harry proposed with a sweet smile.

Lockhart's blue eyes twinkled and he winked at Harry. "Well done Harry! Trying to help a fellow student! Yes, Mr. Malfoy I can certainly help you. Come, come! You have my class next and we can get there early while I divulge the various secrets of fame!" Lockhart wrapped a restricting arm around Malfoy's shoulders and pulling him along.

There was silence in the observing courtyard that was broken by Ron's loud snort. "Did you just sic Lockhart on Malfoy?!"

Harry feigned offense and placed his hand over his heart. "I can't believe you would think so lowly of me! I was merely helping a fellow classmate and who better to help him than our resident fame expert?" Harry asked, smiling innocently.

Ron snorted even louder this time, a rolling laughing coming out.

"We should probably get to class."

"Joy."

They made their way to the third floor. Lockhart's classroom was covered in portraits of him! All over the place!

He sat in between Ron and Hermione and simply got out the fountain pen Varix had given him long ago. He waited.

Malfoy was released to his seat, looking ready to kill. The glare he sent Harry's way made him snicker.

Lockhart introduced himself to the class. A very long introduction with too many titles and achievements tacked into it. He then gave them a quiz!

_1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?_

_2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?_

_3\. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?_

_4\. What did Gilderoy Lockhart say to the Bandon Banshee before vanquishing him?_

_5\. What does Gilderoy Lockhart revile most?_

_6\. How long did Gilderoy Lockhart remain on the Isle of Fibblewumps?_

_52\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would his ideal gift be?_

On and on it went, only ending with a solid 52 at the end of the third page.

Harry and Ron shared a look. Harry left his blank. He didn't care about any of it. Hermione was scribbling away, a smile on her face.

When the time was up, he collected the papers and tsked over no one knowing anything about him. Except Hermione, who got most of her quiz correct and received full marks.

He then drew his wand and warned them about what they'd be learning. They may even be facing their greatest fears. He whipped the covering off the cage on his desk and the class just stared.

Cornish Pixies.

The moment Seamus laughed, he released them from the cage and hell broke loose.

One of the Pixies grabbed Lockhart's wand and hit him with some spell, knocking him unconscious. The rest spread throughout the room, messing up the portraits and everyone's belongings.

Harry leaned over his wrist and whispered, "I wish the pixies were back in their cage."

His 'watch' disappeared and Varix appeared, floating over Lockhart's fallen body. She snapped her fingers and the chaos was gone, the cage locked up with all the little blue creatures inside.

She smiled at the class, who all looked at her in wonder and some with slight distrust.

"Hello, midgets!"

Varix sat herself on Lockhart's desk and folded her legs beneath her. "So, this idiot isn't capable to teaching you how to properly deal with creatures. He was supposed to show you the proper charms necessary in order to trap a Cornish Pixie."

She threw a contemptuous look in the blonde's direction.

Malfoy sneered, "And who are you?"

Varix quirked a brow, "A fairy, obviously.  _I_  thought the wings gave it away."

True enough, her wings were enormous, stretching far from her body in slim, yet decorative designs.

"You have about fifteen minutes left, so I'll just teach you something interesting before you go… Hm…"

* * *

Varix got an idea!

"What are the Dark Arts?" she asked loudly.

A few raised their hands. She chose Harry's red friend.

"They're evil!"

" **ERRNT**! Wrong!" She shifted a bit. "When you hear about fairies, what do you think of?"

Another Gryffindor that she didn't know, raised their hand. "Happiness, goodness, sunshine."

Varix snorted loudly. "Definitely wrong."

With a snap of the fingers, she made a poster of a Banshee cover one of the blonde professor's larger portraits. Tall, with long black hair and grey tinted skin, with a gaping mouth full of fangs. "This is a Banshee. Banshee's are fairies. But they kill people by screaming. They eat children." Another snap and a poster of a Dullahan appeared. Another female creature, headless, carrying its own head as it rides on a carriage, directing a headless horse. "Dullahan's are much like Grims. They are signs of death. The moment they stop riding, someone will die. The moment they call the name, the death has come to pass. If you are nosy while they are on business, they pour blood on you. They are also fairies."

She looked back to the class, who all looked faintly disturbed. "Not all fairies are happy and cheerful. Which leads me to say that not all Dark Arts are bad."

There was a murmur of protest from the Gryffindors, but the Slytherins were watching her curiously.

"Now, I am a rather lazy fairy. I skip class… a lot. It's boring. I like to come and chill with the humans. I'm pretty sure I'm not evil, but the words is subjective for everyone so I can't really judge.

However, there is a woman in your Ministry who is violently attacking magical creatures. She is trying to pass a law that all fairies are Dark Creatures and should be killed on sight. Just as not all wizards are good, not all fairies are bad. And her plan is really stupid because the treaty between our realm and Magical Britain would be gone. And all the benefits you get from us, would go with us."

Not surprisingly, Harry's bushy friend raised her hand. "Benefits?"

"Yeah. Pixies - not these imitation things beside me - are just another kind of fairy. They have so little magic, their growth is stunted. All they have is pixie dust which makes objects fly. Wizards found several uses for it if added to runes or spells. Magical Britain would lose all Floo Powder, all Time Turners, and various other objects, should you label fairies as Dark."

She let them stew on that for a moment, before continuing.

"Your Ministry is the most archaic one in the magical world. So far behind the times it isn't funny. Australia is at the top and laughs in the face of you. You have perfectly normal creatures being labeled as Dark - which obviously must mean evil, right?" she rolled her eyes.

"Take it like this. I was curious about Harry Potter, so I went to Merry Berry Cottage in Godric's Hollow. It's a monument to magicals and you can go through the cottage. I found something interesting. Who knows what Blood Magic is?"

The Malfoy boy along with several Slytherins and Neville Longbottom raised their hands. She chose Malfoy.

"It's considered illegal and immoral by the Ministry and is punishable by up to ten years in Azkaban. It is an olde branch of the Dark Arts."

"Correct. Now, the Ministry claims all Dark arts are evil, so here is where it gets twisted. There is Soul Magic and Blood Magic. Soul Magic is bad for you. It is harmful to your soul, which is why it isn't practiced. You can lose your sanity, your magic, and your looks. Blood Magic can be used for many things, unlike Soul Magic.

So I was in the cottage, looking around. I found out that when Voldemort came," some students flinched, "Lily Potter ran up the stairs instead of out the back door where she could have Apparated away or taken a Portkey. Why go through the trouble of running up the stairs and into the nursery? Well, it turns out that she dabbled in Blood Magic."

There was collective gasp from the students. Harry was looking confused.

"She got her hands on a Black Quill - a special quill that uses your own blood when you write with it - and she carved multiple protective runes into the walls, ceiling, and floor of the nursery. Braided chains, done in her own blood, the protection is made stronger. The night of the attack, she ran to the room and used the quill to draw the rune of success and victory on her son. Sowilo. The Killing Curse has the same wand movement as the mark on the Boy-Who-Lived's forehead. By doing this, she was countering the curse.

It's an olde form of mother's magic, requiring blood and the sacrifice of the mother's life. The reason that no other mother's managed to save their children by taking the blow first, was because they didn't use the ritual.

The moment her heart stopped beating - which she had to willingly give her life to activate the runes in the room - the blood stopped flowing and the magic reacted. It is impossible to stop the Killing Curse, but not impossible to return it. The curse hit Harry, activating the rune on his forehead and it rebounded, killing the Dark Lord."

The class sat enraptured. All of them were looking at Harry.

"So here's the question. Blood Magic is illegal. It is considered a Dark Art by your Ministry. And  _only_  your Ministry might I add. And yet this Light Witch, managed to accomplish one of the most powerful Blood Rituals in the realms. Is she evil for going against the law? Or is she good for doing it to save her son's life? You decide."

Varix popped away, returning to her 'watch ' forum on Harry's wrist. Let them think about it. They could use real tutelage.

* * *

The class ended with the students whispering.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed behind them all, talking quietly to Varix.

"Was there a reason for that?" Harry murmured.

"Yeah. Trying to pull you midgets out of the Dark Ages. You need to realize that your Ministry is corrupted and you need to think for yourselves. I mean, come on. Labeling House Elves and Fairies as Dark Creatures. That doesn't sound off to you?"

"It does, it's just, what if Dumbledore find you?"

"He won't. He's a baby compared to me. I have centuries of experience and power over him."

"Okay then."

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other fics.**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR..<http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/> I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -As you've seen, the teachers don't like Lockhart. Snape gave him a laxative.
> 
> -I decided to use Varix as a sort of catalyst for the children. The British Ministry is full of idiots and she'll help teach the children to think for themselves instead of believing whatever the Ministry says.
> 
> -I made fairies helpful to wizards in this.
> 
> -Harry's inner Slytherin is showing.
> 
> -I used runes! Lily Potter is kick ass in this! Just saying.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humor. Drama.
> 
> Harry lies and says that a Mudblood is a Muggle sweet and now most Purebloods won't say it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised at how many people like this fic! Usually OCs have people running for the hills and you always get that dumbass flamer that is all 'Mary Sue~!'. Like, your OC can be paralyzed from the waist down, blind in one eye, dying of Cancer, and being abused by their mother, and still the flamer would be spouting shit about how your OC is too overpowered and mary sueish!

** A/N: Hello, people! **

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. THE LINK IS BELOW. I FOLLOW BACK!**

* * *

The next week was filled with whispers of Harry and Lily Potter. People wanted to know where the fairy had come from. Dumbledore didn't seem pleased to hear about what she taught the class. He even told every painting and portrait in the castle to keep an eye out for her just in case. He even told the students to disregard what they had heard, but the ball had already been rolling and there was no stopping it.

The Slytherins had taken that lesson to heart it seemed and told their entire House. Apparently, Theodore Nott had the best recollection of all of them and he was put on the spot to explain the entire class period to the rest of Slytherin House.

The fact that a Light witch had been willing to 'sink so low' and use the Dark Arts just to save her son, seemed to have their attention the most. They looked at Harry more closely now. They watched his every move, calculating everything in his life.

The Gryffindors had been a bit unnerved about the information. Hermione, Ron, and Neville were the only Gryffs in their years that seemed to be okay with it. The rest skirted nervously around Harry. Fred and George thought it was awesome. Their Quidditch Team thought nothing of it. Percy was more focused on his studies and didn't have time to worry about something that happened eleven years ago. Ginny and Colin saw nothing wrong with it. But the rest, they weren't so calm.

Some had been reared by strictly Light families and were told that using Blood Magic was a big no-no. Some of them even whispered about whether Harry was possibly touched by Dark Arts since it was used on him.

When he heard that, he had to step in with, "The Killing Curse is considered Dark Arts, so even if she never used the ritual, I would have been touched anyway." No one could say anything after that.

The Ravenclaws were found in the Library in huge groups, whispering questions to each other. Each had a book on magic and after four days, they determined that Lily Potter was sensible and that most of them would do the same for any of their family members.

Harry received sympathy from the Hufflepuffs, which was surprising considering they were usually easily frightened. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott sent him small smiles and told him that his mother was a brave woman. He knew that already, but it was nice to know that other people realized it. That people were finally realizing that Harry had done nothing that night and that he wasn't some Boy-Who-Lived, he was just Harry.

Besides the hype about Varix, Lockhart had been put off when he learned of what happened and tried to spin a tale on how she was too enamored with him to stay around. No one believed him.

Also, he remembered his promise to give Harry 'lessons' on fame.

Hermione thought it would be 'educational' and he simply looked at her in silence until it was time for him to met the annoying blonde.

When he reached Lockhart's classroom, he was nearly bowled over by Draco Malfoy and Snape. Lockhart was waving them from the room, eyes lighting up when seeing Harry.

"Harry! You're just in time! Ready for your lessons?!"

Malfoy's head snapped around and even Snape looked interested, if only mildly. "Why does Potter get special lessons?"

He seriously had no idea what he just did. Harry's face morphed into a very innocent grin that belied nothing of the inner glee he felt. Time to make Malfoy suffer!

He gave Lockhart this look and asked, "Oh, Malfoy wants to join us, professor. Do you think he could?" Harry made sure and bat his lashes three times more than necessary.

Lockhart caved in seconds, "Oh alright! Mr. Malfoy, you can join us. Come, Harry! Much to be done!"

The man turned and headed back into the classroom.

Malfoy turned to Harry, "Why do you want me to join you, Potter?" He was suspicious.

Harry grabbed into Draco's hand and smirked, "Because if I must suffer lessons on fame, I'll take you down with me."

The realization in those stormy grey eyes was enough to make him cackle a few times. Ignoring Snape, Harry pulled the struggling Slytherin into the room and shut the door behind them.

* * *

The lesson was a long one. And Malfoy glared at him with every chance he got. He smiled serenely in return.

An hour later, they went their separate ways, Malfoy scrubbing at his arm where Lockhart had touched him multiple times.

Harry laughed on his way up to the Common Room. Hermione and Ron were sitting in front of the fireplace and he joined them, telling them of his lesson and what he did to Malfoy.

Ron was over the moon about it and Hermione rolled her eyes. "At least you are getting into mischief that won't get you into trouble. This is good. And very devious of you," she smiled lightly.

The next morning, Harry was awoken by a very unpleasant looking Oliver Wood, whose eyes looked bloodshot and hair was ruffled if only a little bit.

"Wazzup?" Harry mumbled, wiping the drool from his mouth in the process.

"Quidditch practice!" Wood whispered loudly.

Harry's body froze in place and he turned to look at the window, which was hard to see due to no light coming in from it. Meaning that it was dark outside. Meaning that Oliver had woken him up before dawn, which was around six up at Hogwarts.

Harry glared at his Quidditch Captain. "You will suffer for this."

Oliver paid him no mind, rushing from the Dormitory while telling him to hurry on up.

Harry pulled himself out of bed, shivering at the chill in the air. He opened the armoire and pulled out his loaned robes from the school. He couldn't very well keep them, could he?

Once he was vaguely awake, he grabbed both Nimbus brooms from his trunk and made his way from the dormitory. Right as he was halfway out the portrait hole, Colin came running down the stairs, brandishing his camera in one hand and a photograph in the other.

"I finished it Harry! I wanted to show you!" he smiled, shoving the picture under Harry's nose.

It was of he and Lockhart, though Lockhart was struggling to pull him into the frame and his hands were clutching the side, trying to pull away. Lockhart released photograph Harry and just smiled up at the living Gryffindors. There was no more sign of the other Harry anywhere. Even in photograph form he didn't want to be in the spotlight. Spot on.

"Will you sign it?" Colin asked hopefully.

"I've got to get to Quidditch practice, Colin. Wood will kill me if I'm late."

That was a turnaround. Colin stuffed the photo into his robes and said, "I'll come! I can get some good photos of you on a broom while I'm at it!"

Knowing that getting rid of the bubbly blonde was a lost cause, Harry shrugged and allowed himself to be followed all the way down to the Quidditch Pitch, Colin asking all sort of questions about Quidditch and Harry answering to the best of his ability.

Colin broke off to go to the stands where he'd get a good view.

Harry walked up behind the assembled team and when Oliver turned to him, his jaw dropped.

Harry held up the Nimbus 2000 up and said, "I figured that the rest of you can take turns using it. I've got a new one."

The only problem, was there were six other players and only three of them would have a chance to use the broom during games, since each House only played three games.

Wood fell upon Harry instantly, pressing a kiss - A LITERAL KISS - to his lips. Harry was frozen in place, even as Oliver moved away, talking about how they would trounce the other Houses.

Fred and George were laughing at Harry's shocked face.

"Don't worry, he does that after something spectacular happens," Fred - at least he thought it was Fred - assured him.

Oliver spent the next ten minutes talking about strategy. Fred and George had fallen asleep in that time frame and had to be kicked away by Alicia.

They finally got on their brooms, Fred being the first to try the Nimbus 2000 and nearly plummeting to the ground at the difference in speed. He had to got through some trial runs before finally getting a hang of it.

Oliver began directing them in new moves to do. Harry learned the Plumpton Pass and the Wronski Feint. Though the feint wasn't actually done because it could only be done by extremely skilled people, Harry at least knew what to do. He swore to practice it when no one was around to scold him.

The Nimbus passed hands quickly, people getting used to it.

An hour later, their practice was interrupted by Slytherin. Conveniently, Hermione Ron had appeared as well, to see if they would be coming to breakfast any time soon.

Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Captain, led his team into the Pitch. The Gryffindors immediately met their challenging stares. It was Alicia's gasp that got Harry's attention. She was staring at the brooms.

The entire Slytherin team had Nimbus 2001 broomsticks.

Harry was able to put two and two together when he noticed Malfoy's short blonde head in the middle of the group of burly Slytherins. His father bought him his way into the team. Or threatened, seeing as Harry didn't know the man at all.

"What are you doing here, Flint?" Wood demanded, arms crossed.

"Easy, Wood. I've a note from Professor Snape."

Flint handed over a roll of parchment and Oliver took it quickly, scanning it with fierce eyes. "I take it you're training Malfoy then?"

"Yes."

Malfoy smirked, "And I'm not all that's new this year," he said, running a hand along the shaft of his broom.

Hermione, who had finally gotten close enough, scoffed, "And yet we all know that you'll lose because you had to buy your way onto the team, meaning all you have going for you is money. You were basically used to make the Slytherin team's chances better."

She had a point. Malfoy had been terrible during Flying class last year. Everything he claimed to know had been wrong and he argued with Madam Hooch for too long over it.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "How dare you talk to me like that, you filthy little Mudblood!"

Hermione gave no reaction, unlike the Gryffindor who gasped in horror. Harry's head simply tilted to the side, "He just called you the name of a Muggle sweet," he lied easily. Malfoy's face turned confused. "Oh Merlin! Plot twist: Malfoy actually loves Muggles and secretly hoards Muggle artifacts!"

Laughs broke through the Pitch, leaving Malfoy gaping and the Slytherin team staring at Harry like he was crazy. Harry simply grinned and mumbled to Hermione that he'd tell her later, what had happened.

"Oliver, we practiced for an hour, can we leave now? Food will be ready and if they want to waste their breakfast time, then let them," Harry said, pulling the eyes that Varix had told him were lethal.

Oliver sighed, "I suppose. But only this time."

Harry flashed him a dazzling smile and took both his broom in hand. "Thanks!" He gestured for Hermione and Ron to follow him. Ron was still choking on his laughter.

"What is a Mudblood?" Hermione asked after they were in the clear.

Ron sighed, sobering quickly. "An insult for those born of two Muggle parents. It means 'bad blood' or even, 'unworthy'. Wizards like Malfoy's family think they're the best because they are Pureblooded. I mean, being Pureblooded doesn't mean anything. Look at Neville and I. He can barely stand upright and I can't remember to tie my shoelaces half the time."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, blood doesn't matter in the least, Hermione. Forget Malfoy. He's petty and a twat."

"Harry!" Hermione hissed, smacking him in the arm. "What did Varix tell you?"

"I told him no cussing until he was fourteen," came the voice of the very person from behind them.

Harry winced and turned to see her frowning at him.

"Mouth open," she instructed.

Reluctantly, he did so, knowing what was coming.

She snapped her fingers and the taste of soap filling his mouth. He gagged a bit, but closed up and waited. One minute of soap in the mouth every time he cursed. So far, he'd only done it once before, but he hoped he'd remember in the future.

She gave a nod and snapped her fingers again, making the flavor go away.

"Good. Now, time for breakfast."

She disappeared into her 'watch' form, letting the Gryffindors continue on their way to the castle.

Hemrione handed him his bag, which he took liberty of filling for him, and Ron had grabbed his uniform, robes, shoes, and pants. He stopped into the lavatory and changed quickly, with Varix moving to Hermione's wrist until he came out, fresher than before.

"I wish I was clean."

A snap sounded and he felt clean once more.

"Thank you."

"No prob. Eat."

During breakfast, Harry received a letter from Hagrid. An invitation for tea on Saturday. Hermione and Ron agreed and he sent Hedwig off with a reply.

Seeing the great owl take flight, made Harry think. He could be getting more than little snippets of mail. He could actually be ordering things to use for class or even books to read on Quidditch tactics!

His mind thought of what Oliver would say if Harry pulled out a move that he hadn't been taught in front of the team. What would it be like? He was excited.

But how would he do it? Maybe…

Harry grinned, an idea coming to him instantly. Pushing his plate aside, he pulled out a sheet of parchment and his fountain pen. He began writing, trying to be as neat as could in such little time.

Once finished, he whispered to his 'watch', "Could you take this to Silverfang for me?"

Varix and the letter disappeared immediately and Harry went back to his breakfast, sending a wink to his friends. He'd show them later.

* * *

They visited Hagrid that Saturday and he proudly showed them his monstrous pumpkins. "They'll be ready for the Halloween Feast!" Hagrid said, casting a small glance at his pink umbrella.

Harry snorted. Hagrid wasn't supposed to do magic, but that didn't stop him from doing it. Hermione gave them a disapproving look, but said nothing thankfully.

"Yeh jus' missed Lockhart. He was tryin' ter tell me 'ow to grow my pumpkins," Hagrid huffed. "The sodden fool, wouldn' know a thin' abou' growin' anythin' besides 'is 'air."

Ron and Harry laughed uproariously while Hermione glared.

"Professor Lockhart is a wonderful teacher!" she protested.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. " _So wonderful_  he managed to be knocked out by a pixie of all things!"

More laughing.

"Professor Dumbledore chose him to teach us so he must be good!"

"Not like there was anyone else ter take the job," Hagrid mumbled, catching their attention. He elaborated. "No one else would take it. The position is cursed. We haven' had a Defense pr'fessor stay for more than a year, ever since  _I_  was in school."

That had the boys giving Hermione a look, which she ignored.

They left a while later, after drinking tea and attempting to bite into Hagrid's rock cakes.

On their way back to the castle, they ran into Nearly Headless Nick - the Gryffindor House Ghost - in the Entrance Hall. He was fretting over something, floating back and forth.

"Nick, is something wrong?" Harry asked, feeling a bit bad for the ghost.

He turned and sighed, "Hello Harry, Ronald, Hermione. I'm simply morose over the fact that it'll be my five hundredth Death Day this Samhain and my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied once again! One inch of skin matters that much to Sir Patrick!"

Nick was shaking a ghostly letter. "He'll most likely be attending my Death Day party and once again I'll have to deal with his taunts on how I'm 'nearly headless, but not quite there'. It's exhausting!"

"Sorry, but, what's the Headless Hunt?" Hermione asked.

"Like a club where you play interesting games and go on grand expeditions about the castle. But most of it all is done with your head detached," Nick explained.

"And there is no way to get their approval or even find a ghostly blade to cut the rest of your ghostly head off?" Harry asked.

They stared at him in silence.

"What? He's a ghost so a real blade won't work. The Bloody Baron has a sword on him though, maybe that would work."

"He's the Slytherin House Ghost!" Ron gasped.

"So?" Harry shrugged. "The worst he can say is 'no'."

"You're right, Harry!" Nick smiled. "I shall try that! Thank you!"

He floated away, leaving the three to themselves.

* * *

Hallowe'en came around rather quickly. Harry and Ron were looking forward to spending the entire feast in the Great Hall and having no Trolls to face. Hermione was too busy reading  _Wandering With Werewolves_  to care about anything else.

The feast was as grand as they thought it would be, with Hagrid's pumpkins all over the room, having been carved into large jack o'lanterns. There were no candles above the tables this time. All light came from the large pumpkins on the floor and the floating pumpkins in the air. Small, black bats flew above their heads and large webs decorating the walls.

The tables were filled with sweets. No actual food of any kind. The closest thing to healthy were the baskets of apples and strawberries accompanied by bowls of caramel and chocolate to dip them in. Huge, rainbow swirled lollies, bowls upon bowls filled with various wizarding sweets. There were even some Muggle things added in there for the Muggleborn students.

It was much better than the previous year.

They sat and waited.

Dumbledore gave a small speech and began the feast.

Moments into it, it went dark and a loud, guttural ' **BOO**!' rang through the room. Screams erupted, but cut off abruptly when the lights came back.

Loud, obnoxious laughter filled the room and everyone turned to see Varix, with an orange and black dress on, floating above the double-door entrance of the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry, I had to!"

Her giggles subsided and she clapped her hands together three times. "Now that the trick has been had, time for the treat! I went trick or treating while you were doing classes and have a great idea! Enjoy!"

With a double snap of the finger, the entire Great Hall was filled with bright lights and when they died down, everyone's clothing had been turned into costumes.

"And this is Fairy Magic meaning it can't be reversed by wizards. You have two hours like this."

Varix snapped her fingers once more and boxes of Chocolate Frogs rained from the ceiling. She gave a wave and popped away.

The students stared at each other, taking in the costumes their clothing had been transfigured into. Then they all looked to the floor, seeing the river of Chocolate Frogs.

Harry had to wonder how she got her hands on so many sweets.

Hermione's mind was elsewhere.

"There are about one thousand students in this school, and almost thirty professors. She managed to transfigure the clothing of everyone in the room, all at once! How much power would it take for an expansive spell such as…"

And she continued on, mumbling to herself.

Ron had already grabbed as many handfuls of Chocolate Frogs as he could manage. He was grinning. "She's brilliant!"

Harry had to concur as he looked down at his own costume. Long black cape, white dressy shirt with ruffles on the chest and puffy sleeves. There was a green waistcoat over it. Black trousers and shined, black shoes.

"I think I'm supposed to be a vampire," he mumbled.

Ron shrugged, opening his fourth Chocolate Frog. "I don't even care what I am."

Ron was wearing pink, with attachable ears and nose. "I think you're a pig," Harry commented.

The boy shrugged.

Neville Longbottom was covered in shining armor, so he was a Knight. Parvati Patil was dressed as a Genie. Lavender Brown was in a pink dress with a hoop skirt. Hermione looked like a Librarian, with her not so bushy looking hair pulled back into a severe looking bun that made McGonagall's look loose. Draco Malfoy was wearing a bonnet and a large nappy. He was a Baby and had a dummy in his mouth!

As for the professors, Snape was also a vampire, not much had changed about him, though there was a green outlining to his cape and his trousers were grey. But the rest was all black. McGonagall was a Fairy with large wings. Flitwick was probably a Pixie, with his tiny wings. Sprout looked like a Blueberry. Lockhart though… was the best out of them all.

Harry elbowed Ron and pointed.

On the blonde's head, was a pointed cap that said DUNCE in bold lettering. His clothing was completely Muggle and it didn't match as all.

Harry bought his 'watch' up to his mouth and whispered, "Good job."

"Thanks," Varix whispered back.

The feast went on when McGonagall couldn't transfigure anyone back to normal. Dumbledore couldn't even do it.

Almost two hours later, they left the hall, pockets stuffed with more sweets because there was no way that they're let the rest go to waste.

The students made their way to the landing of the first floor where they'd break off. The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs going down and the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws going up.

They had to pass the first floor girl's lavatory to get to the landing that led to the rest of the school. But the Gryffindors, who had been leading the entire entourage, all stopped. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with several others from different Houses, pushed their way to the front to see what was going on.

On the wall, was a large amount of red lettering. Hanging on the torch beside it, was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. She wasn't moving.

"' _The Chamber of Secrets had been opened, Enemies of the Heir, Beware_ '," Hermione quoted the passage in the wall.

Draco Malfoy, who had also pushed his way to the front, sneered and said, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

The professors came along a moment later and shooed everyone off to bed, leaving the students to come up with their own theories about what had happened and what the Chamber of Secrets was.

"Mrs. Norris wasn't dead," Hermione commented as they walked to Gryffindor Tower. "She was Petrified."

"How do you know these things?" Ron asked, biting into another Chocolate Frog.

"I read."

He snorted. "Big deal."

* * *

Harry was out in the courtyard a few days later, when several large creatures with wings landed in front of him. His mind whirled, looking for the terms. Abraxans. Winged horses, rare to find in Britain, bred in France.

There were four of them and they each held a large rope in their mouths. The ropes were connected to a large, oblong box that rested on the ground in the center of their square formation.

He stood, "Is this from Gringotts?"

The nearest horse nodded.

"Thank you. Can I get you anything?"

The horses shook their heads and released the ropes. Their wings flapped and they lifted off, soaring above the courtyard and quickly out of sight.

Harry pulled out his wand and trained it on the large box. "Wingardium Leviosa."

It lifted off the ground and Harry carefully grabbed his bag and moved into the castle, carrying the large box with him. He couldn't be more grateful that McGonagall's office was on the first floor.

He knocked one and entered the moment she gave permission.

"Professor, I have something I need to show you."

"What is it Potter?" she asked, glancing up from her parchment covered desk.

"You most likely have heard of the Slytherin Team's new brooms, right?"

Her mouth tightened. "Yes."

"Well, I also got a new broom and unlike them I wasn't bragging about it. I even planned to let everyone trade use of my Nimbus 2000 for the games, but then I got an idea! Why not make it all even? I learned recently of a fund that was started for me and I cannot give anything in it back, so I figured why not use it for something important. So… I evened out the Quidditch Teams."

Harry allowed the box to touch the floor of his Head of House's office. "Alohomora!"

The side fell to the floor, revealing twenty new Nimbus 2001s all standing up perfectly in their own little slots.

"For the rest of the teams. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and the six others for Gryffindor. Since Lucius Malfoy  _obviously_  donated those broom to the Slytherin Team, _I_  figured that can donate too," Harry said with a smirk.

McGonagall had dropped her quill while he was speaking. She stared at the box for a moment, before sighing.

"We've needed new brooms for years, Potter. You may have no idea how helpful this is. Not just some revenge on Lucius Malfoy, but true help for the school. Some of our brooms are from before  _my_  attendance at Hogwarts."

She sighed once more. "Thank you, Harry. I'll call Filius and Pomona."

Harry grinned.

He couldn't wait to see how Snape reacted to the news.

He returned to Gryffindor Tower a while later and told Hermione and Ron of what he did.

"Quidditch games are going to be some much more interesting!"

Oliver came in moments later and for the second time since school started, he planted a large kiss on Harry's mouth. He moved off to do the same with Fred and George.

"On another note," Harry mumbled. "Ron, would you like the Nimbus 2000?"

"Yes!"

Varix gave a small laugh.

Harry couldn't wait for the first Quidditch game of the season.

* * *

**A/N: Another one done.**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR..<http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/> I FOLLOW BACK!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Moaning Myrtle's bathroom is on the first floor in the books, not the second floor.
> 
> -Harry bought the rest of the school new brooms, using his Boy-Who-Lived fund to do it.
> 
> -Yes, Varix made him eat soap for foul language. My mom did it until I was ten and she began using Cayenne Pepper.
> 
> -J.K. Rowling has stated that Hogwarts has about 1,000 students at any given time and that Hogwarts accepts all religions. Someone tried to argue with me over the first fact in one of my other fics and they called me all sorts of horrible terms until I slapped their ass down with the facts. They then proceeded to try to kiss my ass and I told them to fuck off. So, no bitching, because you can seriously look up these facts on Pottermore or on the Harry Potter Wikia, if you know how to navigate the websites. I'm sick of people attacking me instead of looking things up like, come on you dumb fuck, the internet is at your fingertips, look it up before opening your condescending mouth. Sorry, I feel strongly about this.
> 
> How was it? Let me know.
> 
> Check out my other fics.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More stuff happens!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Humor!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

"You know, I was thinking," Ron said softly as he munched on a muffin.

"Wow," Hermione said blandly.

"Yeah, don't hurt yourself," Harry added with a smirk.

He sent them both an unimpressed look. "Shove off. As I was saying, I was thinking about something. The Chamber of Secrets is a myth supposedly and only Slytherin's Heir can open it. So does Slytherin's Heir hate cats?"

That gave them pause and the three couldn't help but think it over. The first victim was a cat of all things. Not a person. Why a cat?

"I mean, Malfoy said that Mudbloods would be next, so why attack a cat at all?"

Hermione was nodding, "That is a very good point, Ronald."

Harry shrugged, "Mind you, Malfoy doesn't represent all of Slytherin. Just because he claimed that Muggleborns would be next, doesn't mean that they will be. It said 'enemies of the heir beware'. I'm pretty sure an enemy would be classified as anyone who is actively against the heir's beliefs and I'm sure that even Halfbloods and Purebloods would be against some of their beliefs."

"True," Hermione nodded.

This left much for them to think about.

"But cats don't have beliefs, so why the cat?" Ron reiterated, looking lost.

Neither had an answer.

* * *

Varix had time to sit on it and think. Dobby the House Elf had warned Harry to stay away from Hogwarts this year because history would repeat itself. Which meant that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before.

So… what to do?

Search for the chamber!

* * *

It was in Potions, that the drama escalated.

Varix had taken to carefully showing him the spell used to protect his potions by surrounding his cauldron to stop anyone from either throwing things in, or even stray hairs from getting into the potion and ruining it.

They were brewing a Sleeping Draught, and Harry had just added 4 Valerian Sprigs, when a foreign substance appeared from his left. It was white and that was all he saw before it hit the barrier around his cauldron and was thrown back the way it came. Harry went on to stir his potion seven times clockwise, while a loud explosion filled the room. Harry just finished his potion with a wave of the wand and turned off the heat.

Snape was moving down the aisle as a brisk pace, his face dark.

His eyes looked to Neville for the source of explosion and then to Harry. But neither of them were behind it.

"Sir, Potter threw something into my cauldron!" came Malfoy's whiny voice.

Harry scoffed, "More like you tried to do it to me, like usual, and you failed this time because I have repelling charms around my cauldron and should anyone but me try to throw something inside, it will return to where it came from."

Snape was looking between he and Malfoy. He grabbed a Flobberworm from Malfoy's desk and tossed it toward Harry's potion, it ricocheted off an invisible wall and moved back in Snape's direction.

His thin lips pursed and he sneered a bit. "Five points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. You will stay behind and re-brew the potion."

Harry raised his vial to ladle his potion into it, when his wrist was caught by Snape's much larger and much colder hand. He looked up at the older wizard, wondering what he wanted. But Snape wasn't looking at him per se, he was staring at Harry's 'watch'.

"Muggle appliances are not allowed at Hogwarts, Potter. Five points from Gryffindor. Remove it."

Harry couldn't help it. He had read the manual five times in order to memorize it fully, at Varix's request so that he knew which rules to loophole. There was no such rule.

"With all due respect,  _sir_ , you just made that up. I have the rulebook memorized and that is nowhere in there."

Snape's onyx eyes narrowed.

"Five points for your cheek. Remove it, Potter."

"Fine. But I will be telling Professor McGonagall about your blatant bullying and I'll just get ten points and my watch back. Simple."

He unclasped the 'watch' and handed it over, ignoring Snape's bristling.

Harry went back to filling his vial and marched up front to place it on Snape's desk. He was no longer going to take Snape's attitude. His hatred for James Potter was justified if what Dorea said was true. But grow up and stop blaming a kid for everything that happened.

He left with Ron and Hermione as class ended, wondering what Varix was going to do now that she was stuck with Snape.

* * *

Varix waited for the Malfoy boy to finish his potion, listening to him complain about Harry the entire time, with the Snape man hissing at him every now and then.

Once the kid was gone, Varix locked the doors and returned to her normal form when Snape's back was turned. The moment he turned to his desk, he jumped a bit, seeing her sitting on it with her legs crossed.

"I've got some beef with you."

He drew his wand, but Varix was already ahead of him, snapping her fingers and making it appear in her lap.

"Your attitude toward my fairy godson is ridiculous. How old are you, two? You're a grown man and you bully children all because you had a hard time during your school years, boo-bloody-hoo!"

She was in a bad mood. Was it obvious?

Snape simply stared at her.

"I don't care that you lost a friend. I don't care that James Potter and his posse bullied you or whatever. I don't give a damn! Why? Because your attitude to my kid,  _my Harry_ , is deplorable! I don't care if he looks like his father. I don't care that his last name is Potter. I don't care if you hold a grudge against his father. But leave my fairy godson out of your petty bullshit!"

She glared, flames of annoyance literally flickering around her head. One twitch and she'd probably light him on fire.

Snape's face, which had been emotionless at the beginning of her rant, turned confusion and then downright pissed.

"Potter doesn't need a fairy godparent. He's simply a whiny little brat that doesn't like it when the whole world doesn't pander to his every whim."

Varix. Saw. Red.

She may not be a Battle Fairy, but she was still trained. She'd studied Martial Arts. She knew her own sort of Battle Magicks.

With a roar that would put a lion to shame, she sprung from her position, pouncing on the wizard and taking him to the floor. She had him pinned with a snap of the fingers and lifted one of her many hidden weapons, against his throat.

"You are ridiculous. Who told you my godson was a spoiled brat? Your Dumbledore, perhaps?" She gave a cold laugh, "He's a liar. He left my kid with Muggles. In the dead of night. In the cold. Never visited him. Harry had to learn from that Hagrid guy, that his parents weren't drunks who died in a car crash."

The man's onyx eyes dilated instantly.

"His lard of an uncle tried to run from his Hogwarts letters. Held a gun to Hagrid's head. Petunia called magical people, 'freaks'. Insulted her sister to Harry's face, like she always did. Hagrid was understandably angered to learn that Harry knew nothing. Hagrid had to tell Harry how his parents were killed. How he was famous. Hagrid was not a good choice because he forgot to tell Harry the important things.

Wizarding currency, where Platform 9 ¾ was, which potions kit was best, blood status, and did not give him his vault key under Dumbledore's orders, when it wasn't his business to hold the key in the first place."

Varix glared harder.

"Those damn Muggles treat him like a House Elf. Clean the house, cook the food, plant, water, and weed the garden. If it's not all done in time, no dinner. He doesn't get breakfast and lunch most of the time and the kid still refuses to believe that he's been neglected. His cousin is a fat, spoiled brat who bullies on Harry with his gang. Who made sure Harry never had friends by beating up kids who got too close. Who tortured Harry constantly during childhood. If anything, Petunia's spawn is the brat.

And  _you_ , you are no better than that bully. And not just to my kid, but ¾ of the school hate you for how you treat them. You are pathetic and if you persist I will make your life hell. I can't kill humans by law, but I can do  _other_  things," she promised darkly, violet eyes glowing menacingly.

There was silence in the classroom. The wizard and the fairy were staring each other down without blinking. Varix wasn't letting this go because it was unprofessional and just plain pathetic for a grown man to target children in such a way. And it wasn't like the children could fight back without getting into more trouble!

"So, are you going to act your age, or am I going to get creative?" she asked after several moment of silence.

"I… will attempt to use proper methods when teaching."

"Not 'attempt', you will  _do_. Or you'll get your hands broken  _permanently_."

His eyes widened. He was a Potions Master. Brewing potions was his life. It was how he made his livelihood. Without functioning fingers and hands, he'd be useless. Her threat wasn't idle, she'd do it.

"Yes. I will comport myself properly."

"Good!" she cheered with false enthusiasm, patting his cheek condescendingly. "And you will not tell Dumbledore about me being Harry's fairy godmother. The fool doesn't need to know that Harry no longer lives with Petunia and we're going to keep his meddling self out for as long as possible."

She popped away, smirking to herself. His bonds would last for at least another hour. Served him right for being such an ass.

She made sure to leave a copy of her watch self on his desk, so that when Goggles demanded it later, Harry would get it back.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the Library. Ron was finishing up his History of Magic essay and Hermione was trying to find a copy of  _Hogwarts, A History_ , but all of the Ravenclaws had already taken them all.

Ron slammed his head against the table. "I'm still two inches short and I don't know what else to write!" he moaned. "Hermione has tiny writing and she managed two extra feet!"

Harry had simply stuck with the three feet. No need to overexert himself when there was other things to be done.

Hermione huffed, "I left my copy at home because it wouldn't fit in my trunk with all of the Lockhart books!"

"You'll just have to wait a bit," Harry shrugged. "Come on, we'll be late."

"Help me!" Ron insisted, showing his last inch of work.

"Write your name in big letters at the end," Harry suggested.

"Good plan, mate!"

In History of Magic, nearly everyone was falling asleep. Until Hermione asked a question about the Chamber of Secrets. Nearly everyone shot up in interest.

She even had to persuade Binns to explain his belief that it wasn't real.

"You all know the school was founded by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Each valued a specific mindset above the rest. Hogwarts was built and enchanted against Muggle eyes to protect young witches and wizards from early day persecution."

He looked around, making sure that indeed, everyone was listening.

"The Founders got along for many years, before a rift appeared between them. It is said that Salazar Slytherin was skeptical of accepting children from Muggle families, feeling that they couldn't be trusted because the Muggles were in charge of the witch hunts. Muggles killed many of their own people simply because they were so superstitious. Slytherin believed magic should only be taught to families that had possessed magic for an extended period of time, to ensure safety for the magical community. The other Founders did not agree with his views. It is said that there was an argument between Gryffindor and Slytherin and ultimately, Slytherin left Hogwarts."

The students were hanging on to his every word. Hermione was basically laying on her desk, she was leaning so forward.

"According to legend, Slytherin created the Chamber of Secrets to hide something within that only he and those of his line - particularly the heir - would be able to control. It is said that he sealed the chamber when he left the school. Other not so reputable sources claim that a monster dwells in the chamber and should the chamber be opened, it will purge the school of all who are unworthy to study magic in the eyes of Slytherin's Heir."

The silence in the room was deafening. The students all looked at each other, trying to process what they had just heard.

Harry particularly, noticed how while it said that Slytherin was skeptical of Muggleborns, he didn't hate them. It also said 'those unworthy to study magic'. That didn't necessarily mean Muggleborns. Only time would tell.

"The school has been searched plenty of times and no such chamber has been found. Besides, no creature can live up to a thousand years. If it somehow did exist, the creature would be long dead after such a long time with no food or water."

Class went back to normal, but by no means had anyone forgotten what was said.

Harry was curious as to what would happen now.

* * *

"We can't go in there, it's a girl's lavatory!"

"No one ever goes in there because it's haunted by Moaning Myrtle."

Harry just looked back and forth between them. Varix, who had made it back to him safely a few hours prior, sighed loudly.

"I'll just disillusion you three, okay?"

"That works!" Hermione grinned.

Varix's magic washed over them and Hermione pushed her way into the bathroom, looking around.

"Myrtle?" she called out.

"What do you want?"

They spun around, toward the cubicles, seeing a rather down looking ghost floating inside the doorway of the second to last cubicle. Her hair was pulled into two tails on either side of her face and she looked depressed. Her glasses glinted.

"Hi Myrtle, we just wanted to ask you if you saw anything strange around here lately?" Hermione asked, trying and failing to sound polite.

Myrtle paid her no mind. She was staring at Harry and Ron. "They're not girls! They shouldn't be here!"

"I know, Myrtle. But we're trying to find out what attacked the cat outside your door the other night. Did you see anything?"

"I don't know!" the ghost wailed. "Peeves was being mean and I fled from Nick's Death Day party because I was crying so much! I didn't see anything! I wish people would stop upsetting me!"

Harry grabbed Hermione and Ron's robes and pulled. "We're getting nothing here, let's go."

They left the bathroom, ignoring Myrtle's wailing as they did so.

"So Filch mopped up the water on the floor, the bloody writing won't go away, and the spiders are fleeing the scene in groups. It had to have been done by someone who wasn't at the feast because we all walked past this corridor to get to the Great Hall and saw nothing before dinner."

Hermione was nodding. "But who wasn't there?"

Ron shrugged, "No idea."

Back to square one.

"So then, the Heir of Slytherin would be in Slytherin, right?" Ron proposed this question aloud.

"I'd assume so," Hermione admitted.

"Slytherin ideals and all?"

"I guess."

"So how do we find out if it's a Slytherin, because my Knut is on Malfoy!"

"He was at the feast," Harry pointed out. "Remember his… uh... outfit?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ron snorted. "Still great!"

"But maybe Malfoy knows who's behind it?" Hermione said. "His whole family has been in Slytherin for centuries and they seem to be very deeply buried in reverence for the Slytherin name, so maybe the Malfoy family are like vassals to Slytherin."

"But how do we find out? We can't just walk up to Malfoy and be like, 'So you know who the Heir of Slytherin is'?" Harry said with a shake of his head.

Ron's 'I've got an idea' light came on and he was grinning. "We sneak into the Slytherin Common Room somehow!"

"Yeah, but that 'how' part is really important there," Harry added.

"It wouldn't be that hard," Hermione shrugged. "We just need some Polyjuice Potion. But the book it's in is in the Restricted Section so we'd need permission to get it."

"And which professor is stupid enough to give three second years a signed permission slip to get a book of advanced potions out of the restricted section?" Ron asked doubtfully.

Harry smiled as a thought came to him. "Lockhart!"

* * *

Lockhart was especially nervous around his class time with the second years. It seemed that every other class, he was being knocked unconscious and waking up in time for his next class.

Varix took to filling in his useless lessons with information that would actually help them later in life. She taught the class the disarming charm and the severing charm. Both can be used in dueling. She warned about using the severing charm on people because it could cut limbs off.

She gave stories about different magical creatures. She explained about the different kinds of fairies.

It was actually fun!

But this class she didn't appear and they suffered through another reenactment of how Lockhart fought a werewolf.

Varix was muttering from his 'watch' about how incorrect he was. That no human was fast enough to keep up with a werewolf or a vampire. That he was full of things Harry wasn't allowed to repeat.

By the end of the class, Harry was almost asleep on Hermione's shoulder. She roughly poked him in the forehead in order to wake him and he sent her a glare.

She then schmoozed the permission slip from Lockhart while promising on Harry's behalf that he'd be half an hour early for their lessons on Friday.

"You will suffer," he murmured to her as they left the room, his voice taking on the stranger accent he heard Varix use sometimes.

"Maybe later. Let's go!"

 _Moste Potente Potions_  had some really dangerous and advanced potions in it. And Hermione was confident that she could brew one of them!

"Some of these are easy to come by - oh no, boomslang skin and bicorn horn, that'll be tricky to get - and whoever we're changing into! Anyway I think I can do it!"

Ron's face turned green, "What do you mean who we're changing into?!"

She gave him a stern glare. "That part comes last, worry about it later. Hm... we'll probably have to steal the ingredients from Professor Snape's personal storage."

Harry and Ron's jaws dropped.

Harry's head shook from side to side. "Your first idea was to steal and mine was to place an owl order."

She had the decency to look sheepish.

"Or, you can give me a list and I go get them!" Varix's voice exclaimed from the 'watch'.

"Really?" they asked with hope.

"Yeah."

"Thank Merlin for small favors."

* * *

Harry was down in the Great Hall early on Saturday morning. Oliver wanted the entire team to eat fast so they could go down to the locker rooms and he could give the usual pre-game speech filled with enthusiasm and mild threats of evisceration should they fail.

Their scarlet and gold robes lit up the dark locker room, brightening their outlooks. They could do it.

"Slytherin had better brooms than us," Oliver stated, before tapping the broom in his hand. "But not anymore, thanks to Harry."

There was a small round of clapping and Harry received the pats on the shoulders with ease, though he had used the fund he felt he didn't deserve to pay for them and even told McGonagall that, but Oliver was persistent.

"We are going to go out there and show them that we can easily match their brooms. We've practiced for hours and in all kinds of weather. We've got this!"

They all gave a cheer.

"Harry, it's up to you to beat Malfoy into the ground."

"No pressure or anything," the twins commented with bright grins.

They left the room and walked out to the Pitch, where Madam Hooch stood with the Slytherins already there. The looks on the Slytherins faces when they saw the new brooms the Gryffindors were using, made Harry snort. Payback. It was so fun!

Madam Hooch made Flint and Wood shake hands before mounting their broomsticks. The teams ascended slowly, waiting for Madam Hooch to blow her whistle. She released the Snitch and the Bludgers with a kick to the Quidditch Trunk, before grabbing the Quaffle. She tossed it up and blew the whistle and the game began!

The crowd roared, filling the stadium with jumbled jargon. The Houses filled the stands, cheering for the team that they preferred to win.

Harry rose above the din, way above the match and into the clouds in order to watch everything from a safe distance. Gryffindor was in possession of the Quaffle, with Alicia making it for the Slytherin posts.

A flash of green caught Harry's eyes. He was not the only one in the clouds. Malfoy had followed him up, daringly sitting on his broom without holding on with his hands.

"All right there, Scarhead?!" he jeered.

Harry ignored him, taking in the scene of the Pitch and the blurring colors moving around. No sign of any gold anywhere though. Hm… This would be a great moment to try a new move and who better than Malfoy to help him? Wood's words rang in his ear. 'Beat Malfoy into the ground'. Okay.

Harry pretended to see something near Malfoy and turned his broom sharply and forcing his way toward the blonde, who ducked out of the way. Harry then made a large and obvious motion that led into a dive. A glance behind him, showed Malfoy copying him and coming up fast.

He faced forward again, urging his broom to go even faster. The grass of the Pitch was coming closer and Harry reached an arm out like he was about to catch the snitch. Malfoy sidled right up beside him mere yards from the ground.

Harry sent him a grin and pulled up with a sudden jerk and Malfoy's head followed his movements with a confused expression, completely missing the oncoming ground.

CRASH!

He made contact and his broom was shattered.

Harry soared upward once more as Lee Jordan's commentary rang through the stands. "HARRY POTTER, GRYFFINDOR SEEKER HAS EXECUTED THE VERY FIRST WRONSKI FEINT AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY! HE IS TAKING THIS GAME SERIOUSLY FOLKS. SLYTHERIN SEEKER, DRACO MALFOY IS OUT OF COMMISSION AND HIS NIMBUS 2001 IS RUINED!"

There was a loud cheer that completely drowned out the boos from the Slytherins.

Harry grinned to himself, not worrying about the fact that he'd probably hear it from Hermione later on. But this was a game and since Slytherin had no reserve Seeker, Malfoy was most likely out for the next month. Seriously, the speed of the Nimbus 2001 plus the added momentum from the dive, probably broke a lot of his bones.

Harry passed the twins who were giving him incredulous looks. Oliver was cheering from his posts.

The game continued on, with Slytherin scrambling to get goals because they didn't have a Seeker. If they managed a certain amount of points before Harry caught the Snitch, the points from catching the Snitch could possibly not do anything to stop them from winning the Cup.

He needed the Snitch now!

Harry's eyes scanned the Pitch. He barely registered another goal for Gryffindor.

There it was!

He shot off, seeing the Snitch hovering just below the commentator's box.

The Snitch, noting him decreasing the distance between them, made a sharp dive downward. Harry followed with ease, his broom bending to his very thoughts.

The Snitch pulled up and then down again, going under the stands and into the wooden framework. Harry contemplated repeating this as an exercise, dodging all the beams down there while flying extremely fast on a broom was a workout.

He followed the Snitch's ascent again, shooting into the sky and then diving once more. His extra speed from the Nimbus 20001 brought him a lot closer to his goal and with a wild thrust, he reached out and caught the small, golden ball tightly in his right fist!

He stopped, mere inches from the ground, holding his hand above his head.

"HARRY POTTER HAD CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR RECEIVES ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MORE POINTS!"

Madam Hooch blew her whistle, "GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

That had to be the shortest match of Harry's life. And Gryffindor came out 210 to 10 in favor of Gryffindor. Good start. He also won Gryffindor fifty House points.

* * *

Hermione cuffed him upside the head once he had been free of his team. Varix glared at him. Ron thought it was brilliant, but so did most everyone else in Gryffindor.

Professor McGonagall however, took he and Oliver aside - after Oliver assaulted his lips once again - and began to severely reprimand them on such a dangerous tactic. Harry then revealed that he'd been training it secretly and wanted to show it as a surprise. No points were taken thankfully.

Gryffindor celebrated like anyone would expect. Loudly. Varix agreed to transport the twins to Hogsmeade, were under disguise, the three would use the pouch of money Harry gave them, to purchase supplies. Meaning, sweets, Butterbeer, and random stuff from Zonko's. If they were partying, they'd do it right.

Harry didn't go to bed until two in the morning and was grateful for no class on Sunday.

He slept well past breakfast and was awakened abruptly by Neville who looked like he was being haunted. "Harry!" he whispered loudly, shaking his shoulder.

"Wake up, Harry! McGonagall wants a House meeting in the Common Room! A Muggleborn Gryffindor was attacked!"

He shot up, worry for Hermione filling him instantly.

"It's not Hermione, but she is worried," Neville clarified.

Harry nodded and slipped form the bed. With a ruffle of the untamable hair, he followed Neville down to the Common Room where the students shifted around nervously.

"Now that you are all here, I regret to inform you that Gryffindor third year, Derek Hughes was found near the Entrance Hall. He was petrified and had only a Muggle magnifying glass in his hand. He is currently in the same condition as Mrs. Norris, leading me to believe that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened once again."

Harry's head snapped up at had been opened before?

"If events like this begin to occur, I'm afraid that the school will be closed before we lose another life. I caution you to never go anywhere by yourself. Always be in groups. Professor Dumbledore doesn't want me to tell you anything yet, but I refuse to have my students not know the possible dangers lurking about."

McGonagall left through the portrait hole a few seconds later. Harry walked over to Ron and Hermione, even as the noise in the Common Room rose once more.

"Did you hear that? It's been opened before. Remember I told you about Dobby saying that history would repeat itself? He must have meant this. And McGonagall said someone died last time."

Hermione's face took on a strict expression. "I need to go to the library."

Again.

A look around the Common Room, showed not as much fear as Harry would expect after hearing that one of their own was attacked. He actually asked about it too, confused on why none of the third years seemed worried in the least.

Marcus Ingall scoffed. "He's a prat. He bullies not only other Houses, but ours as well. He shoved Creevey in the bureau over there and locked him in for two hours. No one likes him and his disappearance isn't to be missed."

A good portion of the gathered students nodded in agreement and Harry frowned, wondering at something and whether or not he was correct.

He shrugged and moved to return to the dorm where he'd put on some actual clothing meant for leaving the tower, when he bumped into Ginny.

Unlike previous times where she flushed and stuttered at him, she simply stared for a moment and Harry watched her eyes dilate strangely.

"Are you okay?" he found himself asking uncertainly.

She blinked a few times, before nodding. "I have a bit of a headache, but I'm fine."

"Alright then, just to be sure."

* * *

As Harry walked away, Varix - who had been disillusioned in the Common Room during the meeting - was still staring at the littlest Weasley.

Something was up. The girl's magic was in turmoil and several shades darker than the previous night.

With silence and stealth worthy of a Nymph, Varix followed her as she left the tower. In her hands was her diary, which was clutched tightly. The girl's knuckles were white from the strain.

Varix followed her out into the grounds and across them until she reached the stables. With a wave of her wand and the murmuring of a spell that no fist year Hogwarts student should know, Ginny surrounded herself in a powerful silencing ward.

Varix watched as she proceeded to slaughter all of the roosters in the nearby pen. But only the roosters.

Why?

And more so… why was the girl who cried over a cat being petrified, killing animals no bigger than a cat?

Ginny turned around and it was in that second, that Varix knew it wasn't Ginny. Because the Weasley family wasn't related to Slytherin and Ginny was speaking Parseltongue.

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of humor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucius and Narcissa are in this chapter.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

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* * *

Varix was smart. She knew not to reveal herself, even if she could take the kid down. Whoever was possessing the girl was powerful to an extent and dealing with possessed magicals was a tricky business. If one is not careful, they could hurt the victim.

While Varix had a wide range of skills, she actually skipped out and lost interest in true exorcism. So her best way to confront this problem would be to seem unassuming and gain favor that way.

She promptly turned herself into her snake form, making sure that her scales were darker than usual so they appeared to be a muddy green.

She slithered around the stable once and came back, intending to make it look like she was just passing and had caught the scent of the blood.

The possessor took note of her presence quickly.

§ _ **Hello, my lovely.**_ §

In typical serpent fashion, Varix lifted her head a bit, tongue flickering out a little. § ** _Speaker?_** §

§ ** _Yes, Speaker,_** § the possessor said with an abnormal twist of Ginny's lips.

§ _ **Speaker is hunting?**_ § Varix asked, tongue flickering out to scent the blood in the air. § ** _The feathered ones are not good prey. They squawk and do not run. There is no satisfaction from the hunt._** §

The stranger used Ginny's hands to softly pick her up. So obviously they treasured serpents if the way they were caressing her scales was anything to go by.

§ ** _I am not hunting. I am merely protecting a friend of mine. He does not like roosters, so I got rid of them._** §

Who didn't like roosters? Was it because they woke people at the asscrack of dawn?

§ ** _And what are you called, my lovely?_** §

§ ** _Lilly. Like the flower._** §

§ ** _Beautiful,_** § said the impostor with reverence.

There was a moment of idle petting, before she was placed on the ground. § ** _I must go now. I can't be spotted or people will be suspicious. It was good to meet you, Lilly. I'm Tom_**.§

And with that, the impostor was gone.

Varix was left to think on what she had learned. She'd have to visit the library.

* * *

Harry and Ron shared a look. They'd just had a potions class and Snape hadn't taken any points from anyone. He didn't even single Neville out! Something had to be wrong.

Varix laughed when she heard their worries of the imminent apocalypse because of it.

"No apocalypse. He was simply taken to task over a few things and now his life as a Potioneer is on the line should he not follow through with some demands."

Hermione understood what was going on before Ron or Harry did.

"You threatened somehow," she stated. "If it will affect his potion making, perhaps you threatened his vision, or…"

"I threatened to break his hands and keep them from being healed."

Hermione looked horrified, Ron was laughing.

Harry though, while he didn't like Snape, he wasn't so sure she had to go that far. "You don't need to hurt him. Scaring him is enough."

"We'll see. As I am your guardian, it is my job to protect you. His attitude toward you and the other students is unprofessional and pathetic. He will exercise control or I will make him. That Dumbledore shouldn't let him act that way at all, but just like with you, he did nothing."

Harry jerked in shock. "What do you mean 'like me'?"

"He's the one that left you on the Dursley's doorstep. He held your vault key even though he shouldn't have. He also sealed your parents' Will. You haven't gotten far enough in all of the paperwork and files that you need to memorize, whereas I've read them all through.

I can't make any movements until you are safe behind the wards of Potter Manor, where he cannot get inside. Dumbledore is Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, as well as Headmaster of Hogwarts. He has a lot of power and should he find out about me before you are inside Potter Manor, he will try everything within his political power to keep you away from me. And I've no doubt that he'd succeed and we can't use the extra drama right now."

Harry was reeling. Dumbledore left him with the Dursleys? Why? And why did he never send anyone to see how Harry was doing? Harry would have had a bedroom at least!

"I have to read those files," he muttered to himself.

"Why did Professor Dumbledore seal the Potters' Will?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Varix sighed. "But if anything he did in regards to Harry, goes against the Will, he will be charged with illegal expungement. It was not legal to seal someone's Will until 1985 and he did it in 1981, so he's already facing time just for law breaking. But for Magical Britain, yes, he will be charged should his actions toward you go against your parents' wishes.

I'll be dealing with that this coming summer, don't worry."

Harry nodded because he didn't know what else to do. He was still hung up over the fact that Dumbledore was the one to sentence him to hell at the Dursleys.

How was living with Muggles safer than living under magical protection?

* * *

Hermione had gotten the ingredients for the potions and had begun making it in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom under heavy disillusion from Varix. The fairy encouraged their plan, saying that they'd learn about the Slytherins better if they were to go through with it. Also, they learned how to brew a complicated potion and were able to discuss some important things.

The potion would take a month and it would be finished on Christmas. Conveniently.

School went on.

A few days into December, the school was made aware of Varix teaching the first year Gryffindor/Slytherin class for the first time. She knocked Lockhart out and spoke of possession and how dangerous it was. That sometimes people who were possessed started to become like the person possessing them. That sometimes, there were side effects.

She'd shaken up the students before giving them all Chocolate Frogs and popping away.

On that very same day, something amazing and slightly hilarious happened after lunch. Though it was a bit sad, it got the trio's attention quickly.

Draco Malfoy was found in the first floor corridor, petrified.

This revelation sent the Slytherins into a tizzy. Malfoy had been so sure that Slytherin's Heir would only go after Muggleborns. He'd swaggered around the school hissing horrible things to Muggleborn students and telling them to watch out. He had all of the school believing that only Muggleborns would be attacked. And the when the Gryffindor third year was attacked, he smirked and patted himself on the back for being right.

But now, a Pureblood had been attacked. That meant that Slytherin's Heir did not care about someone's blood status and this put the entire school on edge.

What were the stipulations for being unworthy to study magic?

Harry took in the facts. The Muggleborn had been a bully, Mrs. Norris was a nark, and Malfoy was bigoted idiot. If those were the traits that Slytherin's Heir didn't like, then a lot of the school would be gone.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his study, drinking some brandy, when his fireplace rang.

"Lucius!"

When he heard Severus' usually calm voice sounding near hysterical, he moved toward the green flames and knelt down.

"Severus, what is the matter? Did something happen to Draco?" he asked, fear for his son prevalent to all else.

"Dumbledore did not wish to inform the parents, but it seems that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened and Slytherin's Heir has set to purging the school of those unworthy to study magic. Filch's feline was attacked first than a Muggleborn Gryffindor."

"Do you wish me to inform the Board of Governors?"

"It's not that, Lucius. Draco was attacked as well and he is sitting in the Hospital Wing, petrified."

Lucius then knew that planting the Dark Lord's book on the Weasley chit was not a good idea. But why was his son attacked?! He was a Pureblood!

"I will tell Narcissa. What is the antidote?"

"A restorative draught made from Mandrakes. She'll know it."

"Thank you Severus."

Lucius was gone from the room, wondering how he was going to tell his wife that their son was being attacked because of something he had done?

He entered the terrace, seeing Narcissa reclining on a sette, reading one of her favorite books.

"Darling?" he began hesitantly.

"What did you do now?"

She hadn't even looked at him!

"I may have given one of the Dark Lord's possessions to Arthur Weasley's youngest daughter and it may have started attacking the students and our Draco may now be in the Hospital Wing because of it."

He was already edging toward the doorway when she looked over the rim of her book, blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You did  _what_?" she asked, voice deadly and calm.

"W-well-"

"My dragon is in danger because of  _you_?"

Lucius shrunk under her gaze. "Yes."

"And what can we do to help him, Lucius?!" she asked, eyes blazing with accusations.

"Severus said he needed a restorative draught made from Mandrake?"

Narcissa was off her seat. "I know where to get it. We will go fix my dragon, but do not for a moment think that you and I are finished."

Lucius gulped at the parting look she sent him before rushing off toward the main drawing room.

He was going to be sleeping in the guest room tonight.

* * *

Not even five hours after Draco Malfoy was petrified, his mother and father graced the school halls with their presence, ignoring Dumbledore as they made their way to the Hospital Wing to give their son his antidote to awaken him.

Malfoy returned to the Great Hall by dinner, smirking like a winner, bragging about how the Heir of Slytherin must have mistaken him for some Mudblood Gryffindor.

The school - including the Slytherins - rolled their eyes, not wanting to hear about it.

Neville had his grandmother send him some known wards that should keep danger away. When asked, he pointed out that He was a Pureblood like Malfoy but was nearly a Squib like Filch. He wasn't chancing being attacked.

The next morning, everyone converged in the Great Hall for breakfast.

Suddenly, Marcus Flint came running through the Great Hall doors, calling for Snape.

"Malfoy's been petrified again!"

Harry took in the situation for what it was. Malfoy was petrified by the Heir of Slytherin. His parents resuscitated him and he bragged. The Heir of Slytherin attacked him again. It was a point. The Heir of Slytherin didn't think Malfoy was worthy of studying magic and even came back a second time!

He wasn't the only one laughing that morning.

* * *

Lucius had to wonder how his life became so difficult so soon. Last night was horrendous. Narcissa made him sleep in the guest bedroom at the far end of the hall and she ordered the House Elves to strip the bed of its linens and pillows and to not fetch him any clothing or food. She was putting him on magic lock-down for the unforeseeable future.

His back was aching!

And now, he just received another firecall from Severus. And he had to tell his wife the news. Again.

He sighed, straightening his spine and walking into the library when Narcissa was curled up on a sofa, reading some romance novel.

"Darling?" he asked quietly, hoping that she actually didn't hear him.

"What now?!"

"Draco was attacked again."

He'd never been more terrified when he saw the look she was giving him!

Merlin help him!

* * *

In the second week of December, McGonagall came around with a parchment for those who would be staying at school for the holidays, to sign. Harry, Ron, and Hermione signed readily. They'd heard that a good portion of the Slytherin first years were remaining behind. Only a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws too.

The Polyjuice Potion was coming along nicely. Hermione was proud of their combined efforts.

A week later, they heard from Seamus Finnegan that Lockhart of all people was starting a Dueling Club. Ron and Harry were skeptical of it, but Hermione was excited.

"We're going!" she insisted on their behalf.

"What - no-"

"We're. Going."

And that was that.

After dinner that evening, they and the rest of the school, congregated within the Great Hall which had gone through a change in decoration. Where the House tables usually rested, there was a large, golden stage in the center of the room, allowing the students to stand all around in order to see from their point of view. The candles were lit brighter than usual and every student was packed n as closer to the stage as possible.

Harry was unfortunately forced up front with Hermione and Ron, getting a close view of Lockhart, something he didn't want.

The blonde prat was standing in the center of the stage, dressed in the most ridiculous plum colored ensemble that Harry had ever seen. His chest was puffed out importantly and he walked around with a smirk on his face. Snape stood off to his right, glaring daggers at him.

"Can you all hear me? Can you all see me? Excellent!"

He placed a hand on his hip and tossed his head to the side. "Now, Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to start this little club in order train you in defense, in case you ever get into situations that I have found myself in on countless occasions. If you would like more information, please see my published works!" Lockhart grinned at them.

"Now, Professor Snape has admitted to knowing quite a bit about dueling himself and has agreed to be my assistant but worry not dear students, you'll still have your Potions Master once I am through with him."

The look Snape was giving Lockhart could melt steel. His prominent sneer was in place and he looked ready to poison the other man.

Lockhart was obviously unaware of the dangerous thoughts running through his coworker's mind. He was still smiling and winking at the students.

The two turned to face each other, Lockhart giving a very low bow with too many gesticulations and Snape barely nodding his head. "We bow and then raise our wands like so. This is proper dueling etiquette!"

Snape was smiling. Or at least, his version of a smile. A twist of the lips that promised pain.

"On the count of three we will cast our spells, not to kill obviously. One, two, three."

Snape was already moving, pointing his wand and saying, " _Ex-pelliarmus_!" The spell came from the tip of the wand in a flash of brilliant scarlet and crossed the small distance, hitting Lockhart in the chest and knocking him off his feet and thrown across the room and into the far wall. At the same time, a bright white light filled the room.

Harry was smirking, feeling himself like Snape just a little more. A loud clapping coming from above them, revealed Varix, who was sitting on a floating chair, holding a camera.

"I can't wait to see the results," she said loudly, looking at her camera.

Lockhart was helped to his feet and he shook himself off, smiling like nothing had happened. "An excellent idea, showing them the disarming charm, no doubt they would need to learn it-"

"They all know it already!" Varix interrupted. "I taught them all during your many lapses."

Lockhart's mouth was open and he stared up at her, not knowing what to say to save his image.

"Get on with this. I want to see the midgets dueling already!"

Snape took charge then, pairing off the nearest students he saw. Harry with Ron and poor Neville with Malfoy. Hermione wasn't chosen yet.

"If you know how to disarm, you shouldn't need me to explain. Take your positions and bow."

They hurried to follow his orders. Harry's wand was held in front of him, training on Ron. Ron was stiff.

"One, two, three."

A chorus of ' _Expelliarmus_ ' rang through the room, but only Harry's and Malfoy's spells worked. Harry deftly caught Ron's wand and smiled at his accomplishment. Malfoy on the other hand, sent Neville a sneer and literally snapped the boy's wand.

Silence rang through the room and everyone stared at Malfoy in shock and slight disappointment. Not even the Slytherins looked pleased. Marcus Flint was shaking his head.

Harry knew why. Snapping someone's wand was a sign of disrespect. And unfortunately since Malfoy wasn't called the winner yet, he was within his rights as a duelist. But he had just disrespected the entire Longbottom family while doing so.

Neville looked brokenhearted, because everyone knew that it had been his father's wand and his parents weren't well.

Snape called the winners, mouth tight. He then told Harry and Malfoy to duel.

Malfoy was smirking as he faced Harry. He acted as if he'd just done something amazing, but not even his own Housemates were impressed with his actions. Crabbe and Goyle even looked uncomfortable at the looks they were getting for frequently associating with the blonde prat.

"You will disarm your opponent on the count of three," Snape said.

Before the man could even get to the number 'two', Malfoy's mouth was already moving with ' _Evert_ -' but Harry had beaten him with, " _Expelliarmus_!"

The scarlet spell shot forth, hitting Malfoy in the chest and knocking him back, much like Snape's spell had done to Lockhart. His wand soared through the air, landing in Harry's outstretched palm. With a smirk, Harry turned his own wand on the newly acquired piece of wood and said, " _Incendio_."

A spark of flame pulsed from the tip of his wand and into Malfoy's, lighting it on fire and watching as the wood peeled away to reveal a long piece of white string that vibrated before becoming blackened and shriveling to ash in his palm.

Harry didn't snap the wand. Snapping was disrespect on the whole family and it made enemies. Burning was punishment and a claim that the person who owned the wand was unworthy to have a wand.

Malfoy's realization of what Harry had done, left him glaring.

"My father will hear about this!"

"Yes. He'll also hear about how you have just ruined all possible pleasant ties to the Longbottoms and Potters and the Blacks. And judging by the looks on the faces of your Housemates, they aren't pleased with you either," Harry shrugged, gesturing to the Slytherins who were glaring at Malfoy still.

With his very first successful ' _Stupefy_ ', Harry knocked the blonde unconscious, since no one had declared him the winner yet.

"I win."

"Damn right you did!" came Varix's pleased shout from above.

Harry grinned a bit. So maybe some good things did happen, especially since Lockhart didn't get to talk much.

* * *

Harry was on his way to lunch with Hermione, when they found the next victim of Slytherin's Heir. Lying on the floor was Halfblood Hufflepuff, Zacharias Smith and floating in the air above him, was Nick, the Gryffindor House Ghost.

They rushed off to inform the professors. All the while, Harry was thinking of Smith. Notorious Hufflepuff bully who capitalized on his Housemates' fear and used it to his advantage. He told terrible lies about Slytherins and Gryffindors. He didn't have any true friends because everyone around him was terrified of him.

Flitwick was the only professor at the Head Table and he quickly moved to deal with the petrified people, telling those in the Great Hall to remain calm as he did so.

Harry and Hermione were looking around for the people who weren't at lunch, but unfortunately, a lot of the school was missing, meaning it could have been anyone. This was getting ridiculous.

Christmas rolled around quickly. Hagrid was found dragging large trees into the castle and professor Flitwick was making use of his skill in Charms to decorate. A fresh blanket of snow covered the grounds and everyone was in the festive mood.

Out of a thousand students, about fifty stayed behind. Most of them were from Slytherin.  _Operation: Polyjuice_  was a go.

Hermione announced the finishing of the potion on Christmas Eve and told them that they needed a few of the hairs of whoever they were changing into. They also had to make sure that the original people couldn't interrupt and blow their cover.

Varix brewed them a Sleeping Draught while they were at dinner that evening.

The next morning, they awoke to find the large tree in the Gryffindor Common Room, covered in presents.

The three took to their own gifts instantly.

Harry smiled widely at the gift he received from Mrs. Weasley. A nice green hat to go along with the jumper that he was wearing,. The one she made him the former year. She also had several wrapped mince pies in the large box.

Ron bought him a book on Quidditch tactics, which he could wait to read, especially when Hermione wasn't around. She was happy about it, judging my the dirty look she was sending the book.

Hermione bought him a nice Eagle Feather Quill.

Fred and George gave him a box of things they were creating. Little pranks to try on other people.

Hagrid sent him a huge box of treacle fudge that he placed near the fireplace in order to soften them.

Colin sent him a box of Every Flavor Beans.

Ginny gave him a rose, though she flushed as she did so.

Varix though. Varix gave him something amazing.

After breakfast, she took him outside and popped them away from the school.

They landed, disillusioned, in a small village filled with neat little houses, surrounded by falling snow.

"This is Godric's Hollow," she said, pulling him along. "And that," she said, pointing to the house at the end of the street they were on, "is Merry Berry Cottage."

He held his breath as they entered the open hedge surrounding the house. It was dilapidated, the roof caved in on the one side. Vines were growing up the side and the plants in the front were overgrown and untamed.

Varix brought him inside the torn doorway. There were photographs on the wall. James and Lily Potter holding their baby. Some of other people.

They went through the house, Harry seeing the nursery for the first time.

True enough, the walls were covered in small markings. Runes.

They left the house, moving into the cemetery where he was able to finally see where his family lay to rest.

Varix gave him time, allowing him to speak to the stone as if it could understand him. It may seem off, but it made him feel better.

After that, they stopped at the large statue in the town square. It was amazingly detailed, depicting James and Lily Potter sitting on a bench together and in Lily's arms, was a baby Harry. All three were smiling.

On a large slab of stone in front of it, was a small explanation for the note.

_This monument is in tribute to the Potter Family who each lost something valuable on the night of Samhain in 1981 and yet gave us all everything in return. To James and Lily Potter who forfeited their lives to the betterment of our magical society. Who faced the Dark Lord without fear. Who died for their son. To Harry James Potter, who lost his parents and defeated the greatest Dark Lord in our history and brought peace back to wizarding Britain. We thank you. In the name of magic, pax vobiscum._

Harry teared up a bit and sniffled a little. He was twelve. Twelve year olds didn't cry.

Varix's warm hand rubbed his shoulder and he broke down instantly, turning to wrap his arms around her. She never said a word and for that he was grateful.

She merely held him in silence and that was good enough.

* * *

**A/N: Another is done.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

**See ya! :D**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -pax vobiscum is Latin for 'Peace Be With All of You', I think.
> 
> -Malfoy was petrified twice! :D
> 
> -Things are a bit different. Eh! Eh!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit happens. 
> 
> Malfoy is petrified... again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trio learn about inequality.

**A/N: Hello, people! I'm really shocked at the response to this fic because Varix is an OC and the response to those is usually not good. But this has been added to 8 Communities already and the stats are great! Thanks!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

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* * *

Harry and Varix returned to the castle long before dinner. This left Harry, Ron, and Hermione some time to strategize on who they were going to pretend to be. About twenty Slytherins were at the school for the hols. Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode being those for their own year.

Varix, who was in her 'watch' form, proposed, "So you give me the sleeping draught. I'll give them to the correct people and get their hairs for you. I'll then report back to the bathroom in a timely manner, yes?"

Hermione nodded. "If you could, Crabbe, Goyle, and Bulstrode would be best, please?"

"Sure. Bulstrode is the one that looks like a female Crabbe, right?"

The three Gryffindors sat back for a moment, before Ron's loud snort broke the silence. "She does!" Harry and Hermione joined in on the laughter, though much more modestly. It was true! How had they not noticed before?

A few minutes later, the trio was joined by Percy, who was reading a book. Then came Fred and George. Ginny stuttered her way into their cluster of a group and looked at the floor the entire time they made their way to the Great Hall.

Harry noticed that she was wearing a necklace. It was made from a white string and a small, black feather. He inquired on where she got it.

"Uh… my friend L-Luna is superstitious. She believes in all these c-creatures that haven't been proven to exist. She sometimes knows things and she can surprise you. She s-sent me this for Christmas to 'keep bad spirits away', according to her note. Apparently, this is unicorn tail hair and the primary feather of a Tengu, some kind of Japanese demon. Unicorns are Light and are known to favor children and innocence. The Tengu are Dark and are territorial and being under the protection of one is considered an honor. Among other things. She wanted me protected from both Light and Dark Magic apparently."

Harry's brow quirked in interest. No one else noticed how her voice changed inflection halfway through her speech and how her stutter disappeared. She had gone from a flushed mess, to looking him in the eyes intently.

Something wasn't right. She'd been acting odd lately. And the rose. She gave him a rose for Christmas. She had flushed a bit but unlike the other times where she never looked him in the eye, she met his gaze head on, despite her embarrassment.

Hm…

Dinner was a quiet affair with most of the school gone. There was only the Head Table that had been moved further into the hall and lengthened in order to fit the number of students and professors who remained for the hols.

Harry found himself seated next to Snape on one side and Hermione on the other. The dour professor hadn't even deigned to give Harry a sneer. He simply ate and drank and left it all at that.

Dumbledore, who was on the other end of the table, was dressed in bright red robes and a santa hat. He looked to be enjoying himself, passing crackers along the table for people to open. These were magical ones though, so the prizes that popped out of them when opened, were actually things people could use, or things they liked. Harry got a chess set out of his.

At seeing the old wizard, Harry felt a stab of resentment. He'd been furthering his studies of those files he'd been given. There was so much to read. So much to understand. He had to read pages multiple times before understanding just what he'd read. He'd then have to read them more to memorize them!

Harry learned of the truth in Varix's words. The Headmaster placed him with the Dursleys. Left him there for years and never bothered to check on him at least one time. Now that he thought about it, keeping a child in a small cupboard on a small cot with a tattered blanket and a thinned out pillow from Dudley squishing it, didn't seem the right thing to do to a child. And while he wouldn't say abuse, he'd admit to light neglect, if only a little. It truly wasn't so bad, but bloody hell it could have been much better! He was shocked that he hadn't turned out to be a vengeful prat who was hell bent on ruining everyone's lives for never helping him. That could have happened. All because Dumbledore couldn't keep up with responsibilities, no matter if he gained them illegally or legally.

Harry's perception of the wizened wizard had changed. Dumbledore no longer was the second Merlin. He no longer was the one person Harry thought could do no wrong. Because leaving a fifteen month old baby on a doorstep in the cold was not a good nor right thing to do. Harry knew all about it, having to hear Petunia whine over the years about freaks and their indecency to not knock on doors and ask politely for perfectly normal and upstanding citizens like the Dursleys to take in a child they most certainly did not want under their roof. She never let him forget it. She also never let him forget that he was ill when she found him. Having been out for so long, he had caught a cold.

He did think that - despite liking him and viewing him as a friend - having Hagrid be the one to tell him about magic was not a good idea. Although Hagrid had come to him assuming Harry knew all about magic, so maybe Dumbledore was foolish enough to think that Petunia would actually tell Harry all about magic. Either way, Hagrid left things out and it wasn't fun to find out specific things because he was made a fool of for not knowing.

In Harry's eyes, Dumbledore had sunk in status. Harry didn't trust him with his welfare. Varix seemed worried that Dumbledore would be able to contest her guardianship of him if he found out about her before summer. She'd gotten Snape to keep quiet and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had also promised to keep it quiet. And the people in the Improper Use of Magic Office were bound by Varix's Fairy Magick to not tell a soul about her. She was allowed to bind people because it wasn't against the laws fairy godparents were given.

Varix was concerned and damn it all if Harry wasn't going to listen to her worries. So no, Harry wasn't a fan of Dumbledore's at the moment, even if he didn't hate the man. He was just, not happy and justifiably annoyed.

Dinner was quick in his opinion and he, Ron, and Hermione left the Great Hall and waited in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. A few minutes passed, with Hermione ladeling the potion into three separate vials and then storing the rest of the potion in a preservation beaker, they waited.

Varix popped in and floating in front of her was a long lock of brown hair, obviously Millicent's. In her right hand was a tuft of brown hair. In her left was a tuft of black hair. "I'm going to enlarge your clothes and put an illusion over them so you fit right in in the Slytherin Common Room. I know how to get you there, but I don't know the password. But considering how those students act half the time, I have a list that we'll go through and I'm sure one of them will work."

The three sent her relieved smiles and added the hairs to their potions.

Harry's nose wrinkled as his potion bubbled. A glance over showed both Hermione and Ron doing the same to their potions. They all shared a look and gave a simultaneous nod. With great reluctance, they chugged back the vials.

Hermione dropped hers, the vials breaking as it hit the ground. She rushed off toward the nearest cubicle with a, "I'm going to be sick!"

Ron coughed, dropping his own and running after her. "Me too!"

Harry's stomach was roiling at the taste, but he forced himself to consume a bit more of the potion before placing the vial on the sink and bending over in an attempt to stall the nausea.

Varix watched on, not saying anything until a loud, 'yeuh!' burst from her mouth.

Harry looked into the mirror over the sink, seeing his face bubble and become thicker. Varix snapped her fingers and he could feel his clothes growing with him. His body was getting larger and filling out too much.

He turned around, seeing Hermione and Ron coming out of their cubicles and looking down at themselves. Before him stood perfect replicas of Millicent Bulstrode and Vincent Crabbe. Which meant that Harry had Goyle's hair.

"It worked!" Hermione breathed, Millicent's face lighting up in a way that Harry had never seen before. It was creepy.

Varix clapped her hands together, getting their attention. "You have an hour. I used the Sleeping Draught I brewed yesterday and fed it to our targets. They will be unconscious for a while. Crabbe and Goyle are residing in a small alcove surrounded by food on the second floor. Bulstrode is asleep in a classroom near the dungeons with her homework spread around her.

You all get going and I'll clean this mess up. Here's the list of possible passwords," she said, handing a small piece of paper over.

They nodded and left the bathroom quickly.

"The Slytherins are always coming up to this landing and then going down here," Harry commented as they followed the stairs downward.

The three Gryffindors in disguise descended into the lower parts of the castle. They noted the chill in the air and how quickly it got colder the lower they went. There was a lack of portraits and paintings in this part of the castle. It was eerie, dark, and quiet. How did the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs get around?

They came to a fork. More like a three way intersection. Either go left or go right.

"Left," a voice said behind them, making them all jump.

Varix was floating there with a wide grin on her face. "This is the basement. Hufflepuff and the Kitchens are to the right. Slytherin is further into the dungeons, to the left."

They nodded to her, watching as she melted from view. Disillusion then.

Harry, who was Goyle, lead them down more steps, further into the darkness. None of the torches on the wall lit at their passing. There were no ghosts around. It was like a haunted house ride.

There were snakes on the wall. Little black snakes carved into the walls. Each block has a small snake with red eyes in center. But Harry's eye caught onto the one snake that had green eyes. It was different from the rest.

"You found it," came Varix's disembodied voice from behind them. "Check the list."

He looked down at the paper. "Salazar."

Nothing happened.

"Slytherin."

Nada.

"Salazar Slytherin."

Nope.

"Voldemort."

Na-uh.

"Pureblood."

The eyes of the snake shined a bit and the wall began moving backward. Harry stuffed the paper into his robes and straightened himself out a bit. This was it.

"How terribly unoriginal," Hermione/Bulstrode muttered as they entered the newly revealed room.

The Slytherin Common Room was spacious and was by far much more fancy than the Gryffindor Common Room. Leather chairs and sofas compared to the boring fluffy seats in their own Common Room. A large chandelier with small green lights dangling around it.

The walls were dark and shined so well that Harry could see his reflection in them. There were bookcases all over the room, with tables and chairs near each for studying to be done. The carpeting was green with silver linings. The fireplace was covered by a grate and looked so much better than the one in Gryffindor's Common Room.

Tapestries lined the walls. There were some large landscape paintings. Overall, it was nicer than they assumed it would be.

Harry made his way in first, with Ron budging up beside him like they'd seen Crabbe and Goyle do countless times. Hermione moved over to a bookcase and grabbed the closest book she could find, She sat herself near the table beside it.

Sitting on the sofa with his back to the door, was Draco Malfoy, whose feet were resting on the coffee table in front of him. He was tossing something small and brown in the air.

They lumbered around the sides of the sofa, catching his eyes.

"Have you been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time?"

They sat on the sofa opposite him and nodded quietly.

"Hmph!"

Malfoy was frowning. "You know what irks me?" he said, sitting forward suddenly, placing the brown thing on the table. It was a ball. "We Slytherins are treated terribly by the other Houses and yet they wonder why we don't like them. They seem to forget that not everyone that has ever been in their Houses was good. I mean, Sirius Black was a Gryffindor and he was the Dark Lord's right hand man and betrayed Potter and his family to the Dark Lord. He's obviously not good. And then there's Sisi Whitby who was a Hufflepuff that gained a mass of followers in the 18th century and became a Dark Lady. She was killed by a dragon though. Ravenclaw's own daughter stole her mother's diadem and ran off with it. She never came back.

Just saying! We aren't the only House to have evil or bad people graduate from Hogwarts, so why is our House the only one being hated? The only professor on our side is Uncle Sev. And yes, it's unfair the treatment he gives us compared to the rest of the school but the rest of the school is being unfair with how they treat us too!"

His extremely pale, pointed face had turned red during his tirade. His hands were clenched in his lap and he was glaring at the table.

"Purebloods are dying away. Fact. I don't like it. Slytherin is currently made up of mostly, Halfbloods and Mudbloods. Only one third of our prestigious House is Pure any longer. The rest of the school feels that Mudbloods and Halfbloods are the cream of the crop, and yet they even treat the ones in our House like rubbish!

I don't care for them in the least, but the hypocrisy from the other Houses is annoying. I don't like Mudbloods, and Halfbloods, if taught correctly, can be tolerated. I may not like them, but even in my own House I have to watch out for them.

I found a fifth year Gryffindor bullying the Mudblood Marcette girl. She's only a first year. He was levitating her books above her head where she couldn't reach them and she was crying. And what did he and his friends, do? They laughed!

People go on and on about Gryffindor being such a nice House and yet Marcette hates them all now. Because of that Gryffindor and his friends. I had to get Flint after them. I don't like her, but as Uncle Sev has stated, we Slytherins protect our own and any issues with each other will be resolved in the Common Room."

Harry's breath had caught. Malfoy was ranting about inequality and from the way he sounded, things at Hogwarts were worse than Harry believed.

Gryffindor was painted as a House that could do no wrong. Everyone told Harry it was the best House to be in. But his father was a bully to Slytherins, one of the petrified students was a Gryffindor bully, Sirius Black was a Gryffindor and was accused of wrongdoings, and now this.

The world wasn't so black and white.

And not only did he learn a harsh truth, but Snape was Malfoy's uncle? And the favoritism of Slytherins was because no other professor would take their side? No one ever mentioned that.

Harry knew that Slytherins weren't well liked but as he thought about it, a Hufflepuff Dark Lady! An army of extremely loyal followers ready to do her bidding. Rowena Ravenclaw's own daughter being a thief. Not all bad people come from Slytherin. And Varix had said that 'evil' was a subjective word to everyone. So what if someone claimed someone else was 'evil' but they were in fact a decent being?

_There is no good or evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it._

Professor Quirrell - most likely Voldemort though - had said those words.

Harry would have to think on it more later, because Malfoy was still talking.

"Then we have this whole Heir of Slytherin business and people automatically assumed that it was Slytherin behind it. And yet I was attacked  _twice_ , for some reason! I can't remember what I saw. My parents were furious. According to my father, the chamber was opened fifty years ago and a Mudblood died. And then they caught the person responsible right before the school was closed. The last time this happened, only Mudbloods were attacked, but now with wizards of every breeding being attacked, I can't say what is going on here."

He sighed and shifted back against the pillows of the sofa.

Malfoy didn't know who was behind the attacks. If Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin who seemed to be most in charge of everyone, didn't even know who it was, then was the person even in Slytherin?

How would they even get into the other Houses? Since Slytherin had the most staying for the hols, it was easier to accomplish. But the other Houses weren't so easy.

Hermione got up suddenly, placing her book back on the shelf and sweeping from the room. A glance to the clock on the mantle showed it was close to nine. Curfew and close to the time their potion would be wearing off.

Malfoy stood up suddenly, dragging Harry's attention back to him.

"I'm going to go and talk to Uncle Sev. He'll probably have some tea ready and he'll let me stay past curfew if I need to talk. Don't come find me or you'll get us into trouble. Weasley patrols the corridors down here on Wednesdays."

And he was gone, leaving the imitation Crabbe and Goyle to stare at the closed entrance.

They turned to each other, mouths dropping as they reviewed all of what they heard. Both jumped up, running from the room just as the clock on the mantle turned to nine.

They had to get all the way up to Gryffindor Tower or else! At least Hermione was ahead of them!

They made it up to the first floor within ten minutes of running. Crabbe and Goyle weren't physically in shape and they both huffed and puffed as they tried to move fast.

The transformations finally dropped by the second floor, but by the time they reached the third floor, Ron, who was finally back to looking like himself, grabbed Harry by the back of the robes and pulled him into the Trophy Room, shutting the door behind them.

"What was that for?" Harry asked, adjusting his collar that had choked him in the sudden movement.

"Filch was at the end of the corridor! I think he saw us!" Ron hissed.

"You can't hide!" came the voice of the old caretaker.

"He did! Oh no!"

Varix revealed herself then. She was pointing at a large painting of a man in ruffled clothing. "That is a secret passage to the fourth floor corridor. Go through there."

"Now see here!" the portrait insisted. "You need a password!"

"Harry, pretend it's a snake and say, 'open'."

Harry focused on the portrait, envisioning Varix in her serpent form and hissed out, § ** _Open._** §

They didn't question her and the painting swung open. The two scrambled inside and up a small stairwell. The portrait closed behind them.

They came out in the middle of the fourth floor corridor, looking around wildly for anyone.

Varix cleared her throat. "See that tapestry over there?"

Across the corridor was a tapestry of an eagle in flight, against a light blue backdrop.

"Shift it to the side."

There was a large, stone stairwell behind it as well. The two rushed up, finding themselves coming out into a hidden corridor of no windows, made of old, uneven stone. Following it, they found a large circular stairwell and followed it all the way up until they came to a dead end.

"There is a place on this wall that if pushed, will move aside. If you can't remember where it is, your Verdimillious Charm can be used to reveal crevices in walls for hidden rooms."

She reached out and pushed on a portion of the wall, making it move away from them and then to the right. She disappeared once more. They stepped out, finding themselves in the Gryffindor Common Room, coming out from behind the only bookcase in the room.

The few students who stayed back for the holidays, all looked up and gaped at their entrance. Fred and George were on them in seconds.

Hermione was by the portrait hole, looking curious as well. Percy was nowhere to be found.

"This will be a secret. Percy cannot know," Harry puffed out.

They all were in agreement.

Once Harry and Ron went to their dorm, with Hermione following them easily enough, they sat on Harry's bed, talking about everything.

"Harry, you spoke Parseltongue to the portrait," Ron said with realization.

"Um… yeah." Harry looked to Varix, "Why was that necessary?"

Varix, who was floating beside the bed, grinned. "Salazar Slytherin added some features for those who speak the serpent's tongue. I didn't tell you before but any password that doesn't hold for a Common Room entrance, can be opened with Parseltongue."

"How come you didn't tell us you were a Parselmouth?" Ron asked, looking a bit pale.

"I didn't think it was important?" Harry hedged.

Hermione huffed, "It's good you didn't do it in front of the school. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth and the whole school would think you're his Heir if they knew."

He didn't know that. The more you know.

"On to other things. We learned this happened fifty years ago. We learned that a Muggleborn died. We learned that only Muggleborns were targeted that time and now things have changed for some reason. Malfoy doesn't know who it is. On a side note, we've learned that all is not as it seems and the prestigious Houses that can never do any wrong, or so I was told before being sorted, each have had some bad eggs in their number.

I was told only Slytherin was bad and Gryffindor was the best and yet I have seen the bullying from other Houses and I just assumed like everyone else that Slytherin started or deserved it. But it's truth. Not even an hour into the Magical World and I'm told all Slytherins are bad and all dark witches and wizards come from there."

Varix scoffed, gaining their attention. "Being Dark doesn't mean you are bad. That's the problem with your Ministry. For years people have been imprisoned unjustly. Any other country in this realm, they'd be free, but in the archaic Britain, they are slaves to the foolishness of your government. It's a sad thing.

Like how the Gryffindor students suddenly turned on the thought of Lily Potter's death and her sacrifice at learning that she used what is considered Dark Arts. Never mind that she saved Harry's life. She was suddenly an evil person for doing it. It's corrupt thinking."

Hermione and Ron looked uncomfortable, but neither said anything against her, because they knew she was right.

"I wish we could find out who died. We'd be able to see if their ghost is still here," Harry murmured.

Varix was grinning again. "I did some research while you were at dinner.

Turns out Myrtle Warren was killed in the first floor girl's bathroom in 1943. Fifty years ago. Subsequently, Rubeus Hagrid was expelled on the same night as her death, with his wand snapped. According to the records, he housed a dangerous creature within the school and it harmed a student. Also, a student by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle, received a large award for 'services to the school' on the same night. His plaque is in the Trophy Room, which is why I knew of that passageway. This all happened exactly fifty years ago."

Harry and Hermione shared a look. Ron was frowning.

"You don't suppose the creature Hagrid had, killed Myrtle?" Ron asked.

"Myrtle."

"Moaning Myrtle!" Hermione breathed in shock. "Maybe she can tell us what happened!"

"I am  _not_  going back down there tonight. It's late, I'm tired, and I just ran a good length of the school while still in Crabbe's body!" protested Ron with a shake of his head.

"We can do it tomorrow then."

"What about Hagrid?" Harry asked. "Do you think he'd want to tell us what happened?"

"We'll just have to ask him."

* * *

The next morning, they headed off to see Hagrid, stomping through the large mounds of snow as they did so. Hagrid's hut was puffing out bits of smoke from the chimney and there was light flickering in the windows.

Hermione knocked for them and Hagrid opened the door slowly, looking slightly worried and curious all at once. When he saw them, he cheered up completely and waved them inside. "Would you like a cuppa tea?"

Hagrid looked a little worn and weary as he poured them some enormous cups of tea.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, feeling for his giant friend.

Hagrid sighed and took a seat in his large armchair.

"Somethin's been gettin' into the pens and killin' the roosters. No matter how many more we get, somethin' comes and kills 'em. But on'y the roosters. None o' the other animals are gettin' killed off. An' they aren't eaten. Jus' killed."

Hermione had on her thinking face.

"This happened last time too," Hagrid sighed.

"'Last time'?" the three Gryffindors repeated in interest.

Hagrid's giant frame froze for a second, before he sighed once more. "Migh' as well," he mumbled, before fixing them all with a hard stare. "The las' time the chamber was opened, all o' the roosters were killed. All the petrifying happened. And… well, I was blamed for it. Though I can't blame Tom for thinking that Aragog was a danger 'cause technically Aragog is a  **XXXXX**  creature, but Aragog never hur' anyone, ever! I kep' 'im in a locked trunk always!

The girl tha' was killed wasn't even bitten or scratched though! Acromantulas always bite their prey to immobilize it. Their venom turns the insides to mush. She was jus'... dead."

The three second years shared a look. Hermione was the first to jump on the questioning.

"Are you saying you managed to get an Acromantula and raise it?"

"'Course I did. He was just an egg when I go' 'im."

"And Tom Riddle thought you and your… Aragog were behind the attacks?" Hermione hedged carefully.

"Yes. But Aragog is too large to fit through the fron' doors of the school. He's the size of an elephan' with an eighteen foo' leg span. An' he's blind."

Ron had gone pale during Hagrid's description, his legs coming up to his large seat so he could wrap his arms around them. He looked horrified.

"The Ministry never investigated to make sure that Riddle's claims were true?" Harry asked, wondering at the justice system.

"No."

That was ridiculous!

Where was the justice?

"So then, they just snapped your wand without actual proof?" Ron asked, seeming to get over his funk.

Hagrid nodded, eyes downcast.

Meanwhile, the three Gryffindor's had new information to add to their list.

* * *

On their way back up to the school, the trio was shocked to see a crowd of students blocking the way to the Entrance Hall. Since there weren't many students left for the hols, they had to wonder what got all of their attention.

Pushing their way through, they found out what was wrong. Draco Malfoy along with a Ravenclaw girl that Harry had never seen before, were frozen on the floor. Petrified. The students were jabbering. Crabbe and Goyle were looking worried. None of the Ravenclaws seemed to be too interested. Even though one of their own was attacked.

Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw in the same year as Harry who had stayed back for the hols, leaned in a whispered, "Cho Chang. She has a group that goes around the dormitory, picking on first and second years. She insulted Padma's hair and claimed that she was a 'dothead' whatever that meant. She also targets a first year named Luna Lovegood and calls her 'Looney'. Luna is a bit odd yes, but there is no need to pick on her. She only has one friend and could use all the help she could get."

Another bully being taken out. It seemed that Slytherin's Heir felt different than the former heir did.

But that meant… it was one of the people who stayed back for the hols! That was only fifty suspects!

He grabbed Hermione and Ron and pulled them aside. "An attack happened, meaning one of the fifty students who are here, did it! That lowers our search!"

Hermione's eyes went wide. "We need the list from the teacher's lounge!" she whispered excitedly.

"I can get it!" Varix called out from her place on Harry's wrist.

"I wish we had the list of students who stayed for the Christmas hols this year."

Varix disappeared for a few seconds, before reappearing, a roll of parchment landing in Hermione's outstretched hand. Her eyes lit up. "Thank you!"

To business.

* * *

The next few weeks, the trio watched every person on that list. Malfoy had been revived… again. This left forty-nine students to suspect. Varix told the trio about swearing oaths and had the three swear that they didn't even know where the chamber was. If they lied, their wands would glow red. If they told the truth, their wands would glow green. Their wands were green. That lowered the number to forty-six students.

Percy was a smarmy prig and the trio learned from Fred and George that apparently, he was dating Penelope Clearwater, Muggleborn and fellow Prefect, and he was spending all his time in the summer and over the holidays, writing to her. And the two often disappeared together when on patrols. The twins couldn't wait to rub it in his face.

Percy's rule loving was enough to even annoy Hermione, who valued rules and regulations.

So they crossed his name out.

Down to forty-five.

Fred and George had ten detentions each since the beginning of term. And they hid away in some secret room that only they and Lee Jordan knew about, in order to create. The two wanted to be inventors and open a joke shop and they were working on developing objects to get kids out of class early. Also, Varix vowed both were set, so their names left the list.

Forty-three to go.

And then Harry proposed, "What if it's a professor?"

They had to think of who was behind during the holidays. Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Hagrid, Lockhart, Sprout, Flitwick, Burbage, and Sinistra.

Just make the search harder, huh?

"Snape is under watch," Varix volunteered. "And Lockhart has no skill. He spends his time writing fan mail and admiring himself in mirrors. Flitwick wasn't here the last time the chamber was opened. McGonagall wasn't either and she's too Gryffindor to do anything else. Burbage is a Halfblood born of two Muggleborns. Sinistra doesn't seem the type, but keep an eye on her I guess. Hagrid didn't do it. Dumbledore, while I don't like him, I'm sure he wouldn't attack students. I don't know what to say. Sorry."

They just went back to their list.

* * *

Harry ended up walking down to lunch with Ginny in early February. Ginny wasn't flushed. She barely looked at him, but didn't stumble as she walked. In fact, she was acting a little odd.

They came out toward the second floor corridor and both stopped at what they saw.

There was a tall Gryffindor - one of the upper years - holding a book above a little girl's head. Harry could see the green on her robes and he felt his anger surface. Bullying right in front of him. Not for long.

Harry whipped his wand out and sent a very powerful stunner toward the Gryffindor. It was so strong, it knocked him several feet and he landed with a loud thump.

Ignoring Ginny, Harry marched on over, aware that the girl was grabbing her book and giving him a look. He'd seen it before. Like a wild animal trying to find a way out of a dangerous situation.

"Are you okay?" he asked, once near enough.

She just stared at his wand, which hadn't lowered yet.

Harry then looked to the unconscious Gryffindor and then back to the Slytherin girl. "Wanna help me prank him?"

Her eyes sparkled suddenly and she gave a small nod.

"Okay then, let's see what's in his pockets."

They found eleven Galleons, which Harry gave to the girl. Found a wand, which Harry took. The last thing was a small ring, much too small for the teen's finger. Harry took that as well. He'd hide the ring and the wand in the Gryffindor Common Room later.

Moving the teen's robes aside, he murmured a spell to create mud, covering the back of his trousers in the brown stuff. He then very carefully lowered his wand to the teen's head and used his skill with the Diffindo Charm to cut uneven strips of his blonde hair off. Finally, Harry pulled a piece of parchment from his pack and wrote a simple message on it.

**I AM A BULLY. HEX ME.**

He used a Sticking Charm and placed it on the teen's back.

"Okay, all done!" Harry smiled to himself.

He turned to the girl and grinned, "Pleasure working with you!"

Ginny joined him. She was smiling a little, though it wasn't a cute smile. It was enough to make Harry shiver a bit. No first year should smile like that. Ever.

Come to think of it. Ginny had been really out of sorts lately.

Wonder why.

* * *

**A/N: Another one done.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -You may wonder why Harry didn't wish that he and Ron could go from the Slytherin Common Room to the Gryffindor Common Room. Simple. Harry still isn't used to the well of wishes that travels with him everywhere. Like, so far in 6 months, he's made maybe, 20 wishes.
> 
> -Varix has stalked the castle. Secret passageways are fun!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for Tom!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Varix is devious!

** **

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Valentines Day was not a magical holiday and was not celebrated by a large part of the magical community in Britain.

Walking into the Great Hall on that morning, Harry felt himself vomit in his mouth, just a bit. Not that he didn't like the color pink, it was just something that should be done in moderation. The walls had been festooned in garish pink ribbons. The tables covered in light pink cloths. Red, heart shaped trays were spread out all over the place and the candles which were normally white, were a bloody shade of red.

The professors at the Head Table looked annoyed, though Dumbledore was garbed in bright pink robes which were spangled with glittering red hearts. No one else seemed to be enjoying it. No one except the man behind it all. Lockhart.

He too was wearing pink, though his robes were much more in fashion and didn't not reveal shooting hearts at every second. They sparkled as well and every movement made the lights reflect off him. He shimmered for Merlin's sake! His enormous, white teeth had competition on this day.

"Hello my beloved students! I hope you enjoy your time on this joyous day of love! And I'd like to thank all the people who sent me cards of admiration! I have arranged these little gifts for you all. Free of course! My friendly, card carrying Cupids!" he said with his arms spread wide.

In front of him, was a very large group of Dwarves that had been dressed in white nappies, pink wings, and holding golden harps. Small red bags were slung around their hips.

Harry could hear Varix mutter some bad words that he wasn't allowed to say yet.

"And if anyone needs help with Love Potions, I'm sure Professor Snape would love to help you and Professor Flitwick is a master in Charms, he knows Enchantments and Beguilements!"

Snape's glare promised pain to any who dared to ask him for Love Potions while Flitwick was hiding his head in his hands. Snape's glare transferred to McGonagall when she leaned over with a smirk and whispered something to him.

The Dwarves dispersed as the students sat for breakfast. Harry was one of the few who were approached first. He eyed the small being walking toward him, wondering what the bloody hell was going to happen. The large, scruffy beard made the whole ensemble look ridiculous.

"'arry Potter?" he asked, holding out a rolled parchment.

He accepted it quietly and handed over a Galleon for his troubles. The Dwarf bowed and turned, pulling another scroll from his small red pouch and heading off toward the Hufflepuff Table.

He ran his wand over the scroll, noting that nothing was wrong with it. With trepidation, he opened it, seeing a long poem addressed to him.

_**In the beginning I assumed you were just some fool,** _

_**That your fame had gotten to your head,** _

_**But you've proven that you aren't some tool,** _

_**And that you are respectful instead.** _

_**I'm amazed at what you've accomplished,** _

_**And how you don't bask in your own name,** _

_**How you defy the expectations and every task is finished,** _

_**And you still remain the same.** _

_**I admire your heart,** _

_**I will watch your layers unfold,** _

_**Because this is the start,** _

_**And it's your heart I plan to hold.** _

Harry looked up from the scroll, feeling uncomfortable.

Hermione leaned forward, "What is it, Harry?"

"I'm not sure," he mumbled.

He handed the scroll over and she read it for a moment, before humming. "It's not a love declaration. More like an intention to court you. But instead of standard practice, this person is flat out telling you that they are pursuing you from here on out."

Who said courting anymore?

There was a throat being cleared at the trio looked over, seeing another Dwarf, but he wasn't holding anything.

"Singing telegram for 'arry Potter."

Singing? His stomach just dropped.

Harry sighed, "Just let me have it."

Best to get it over with now rather than later.

Another clearing of the throat.

**_His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,_ **

**_His hair is as dark as a blackboard,_ **

**_I wish he was mine, he's really divine,_ **

**_The boy who conquered the Dark Lord._ **

Harry's grimace was obvious as the Great Hall burst into laughter, having quieted down when they saw that Harry got a 'singing telegram'.

Malfoy opened his mouth like always, and jeered, "Why Potter, you're so divine!"

Harry grinned back, "So divine that I actually  _get_  declarations of adoration and yet you've gotten nothing. Not even from your own mother. How sad."

The laughing shifted form Harry to Malfoy and the Gryffindor gave a hearty wave, going back to his breakfast.

By first period, Harry had gotten more Valentines than Lockhart, beating out the blonde's forty-six by thirty-four declarations. It was a shock, because he hadn't gotten any the former year, but maybe it was just because they were mentioned this year. Or that he was a first year.

Harry was eighty Galleons short by the end of the day.

Varix, in a fit of annoyance over the treatment of the Dwarves, turned Lockhart's hair blue, his skin pink, and his robes orange with blue polkadots. And nothing the man did could fix it.

The next morning, four more students were found petrified. A Slytherin, two Hufflepuffs, and a Ravenclaw. A little information. A bully, a liar, and two ringleaders. A Pureblood, a Muggleborn, and two Halfbloods. All found on the first floor.

Harry paused on his way up the stairs. "Every attack has happened on the floor that Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom is on!" he realized aloud.

Hermione and Ron shared a look, the moment of clarity hitting all of them at once.

"Maybe Myrtle saw what happened!"

The three turned right around, running down the stairs.

With luck, they managed to sneak into the bathroom and find Myrtle sitting up in the high window, making loud whining noises.

"Hello, Myrtle," Harry greeted the ghost.

She turned to them, looking absolutely depressed. Well, more so than usual.

"Come to throw something else at me?" she whispered dejectedly.

"Why would I throw something at you?" inquired Harry, feeling confused and not liking it.

"Don't ask me. Here I am, minding my own business and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me," she whined, looking at the floor.

Harry's eyes followed her own, seeing the book.

Ron hummed, "But you're a ghost, so it wouldn't hurt if someone threw something at you."

"Yeah, but she does have feelings, Ron," Harry scolded, smacking his friend in the arm.

Harry went and picked up the black book, ignoring Ron's gasp.

"Don't touch it! It could be cursed. It could make you speak in Limericks for the rest of your life! It could make you not speak ever again!"

Harry turned it over, mouth dropping open. "Hey Mione, isn't Tom Riddle the bloke that thought Hagrid was guilty?"

"Yes."

"This is his diary."

Harry flipped it open, looking for anything. But there was nothing. No plans. No dates. It was… blank.

"That's suspicious. What's it doing here, fifty years later?" Ron asked, peering over Harry's shoulder.

"No idea, but I'm taking it."

"No you aren't!"

Varix appeared. She took the book from him. "Do not touch it. Don't ask me about it. If you really must know about it, I'll maybe tell you later, just go back to doing what you were doing before this. I'll see ya later."

She was gone, leaving the three standing in the bathroom.

* * *

Varix eyed the book. She knew what it was upon looking at it. Ginny was handling it when she was possessed and slaughtering the roosters. The possessor called himself Tom. The same name that was on the diary. The same name of the person who got Hagrid removed from the school. It was all connected.

With a snap of the fingers, she forced a sizeable amount of magic into the diary, watching as the form of a young, teenage boy shimmered into view before her. He wasn't solid, but he was still visible. Transparent at best. He was attractive in an older charm sort of way. His black hair was wavy and pushed to the side and his eyes looked to be a light shade of green. He looked a lot like Harry did, but with manageable hair. His robes showed that he was a Slytherin and there was a Prefect Badge on his chest.

He looked surprised to see her.

"You're the fairy that everyone has been speaking about?"

"Obviously," she scoffed. "You're the one possessing Ginevra."

"I'm afraid I'm just a memory. I don't have that sort of ability," Tom said with a serene smile. If she didn't know he was guilty, she'd probably have fallen for his layered on charms.

"You should really watch what you speak to when possessing somebody. You told me yourself that you are called Tom and that you were killing the roosters to protect a friend of yours."

Realization lit within his eyes, but he said nothing.

"So, you've been possessing a little girl. You suddenly appear this year. And everything that happened while you were in school fifty years ago, is happening again. It doesn't make sense that Hagrid is behind it, since his Acromantula is physically too large to fit into the castle to be able to move anywhere, it's also blind and old, and the fact that Acromantulas are carnivorous and there wouldn't be any bodies to be found if it was Aragog. Then we add on the fact that no one has been bitten and the fact that Hagrid - if he was indeed behind it all - had all of these years to do something so why only pick this year? Makes no sense.

Your name has come up a lot. Your plaque, your busting of Hagrid, your diary, you telling me while you possessed Ginny, who you were. Tom Marvolo Riddle, son of Tom Riddle and Merope Gaunt. Slytherin's last Heir. And I noticed something while messing around with some information. I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. Care to share anything about that?"

Tom's face finally changed, he was staring at her with eyes filled with deep emotion. "Do not compare me to that old fool! We may have been the same once, but he completely lost himself somewhere in the middle."

Tom turned to the side and began pacing as he talked. "There wasn't supposed to be a war. War kills people. Wizards and Witches are already in the minority. There aren't enough of us left. A few million compared to how many Muggles there are, we're outnumbered. War was an unnecessary step that he didn't have to take."

"Why did he?" Varix asked.

"I don't know," admitted Tom. "I had it all planned out. I learned of my heritage. Being Slytherin's Heir would help me. When I was in school, I only said the chamber had been opened. I never pointed fingers at the Heir, because it would compromise my plans. There are other Parselmouths that don't belong to the Slytherin Line. The chamber is open to all Parselmouths.

I was a model student and with little Ginny's aid, I have learned that I went on to be the best student to graduate from Hogwarts. Twelve Os on my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. Prefect and Head Boy. I kept a tight leash on my followers because I was working the school. I was respectful to everyone, even if I didn't like them, because I was trying to lessen the hatred of Slytherin House. If the rest of the school knew me as a helpful individual, then when I entered the Ministry, they'd remember my kindness and I wouldn't have to bribe people with money or false platitudes to get their compliance with my plans."

It was a sound plan. He had already been thinking so far ahead for his future when he was in school.

"So what changed your mind from Muggleborn to every blood type? And what about killing Myrtle?"

Tom sent her a glare. "She was an accident. I was only trying to scare them away. Myrtle was a frequent subject of bullying. She would run and cry in random places in order feel better. I released the Basilisk, not knowing that she had come into the bathroom and she died the moment she saw it. It returned immediately to tell me what happened and I had to close the chamber.

I continued my rounds and a few Ravenclaws were out past curfew and told me that Myrtle went into the bathroom to cry because Olive Hornby was teasing her about her glasses. I allowed them to go and find her body, which they then came to me blubbering about it and I went to fetch Headmaster Dippet.

They were going to close the school. I needed to place the blame on someone. Luckily the Ministry is full of idiots and they didn't even question my claims. Hagrid suffered yes, but he's still here. And the school isn't closed."

"Yes, but they're talking about closing it again, you fool. And you didn't explain the difference between these times."

Tom sighed. "I've had fifty years in that diary to think about my sixteen years of life that I managed to live. I don't like it. Any of it. You know what the diary is, I can tell. I made the diary into a Horcrux a week after Myrtle's death. I found a book in the restricted section - I had unlimited access thanks to the Slytherin Head of House - and it described immortality.

Living in the Muggle world during a war had terrified me as a child and teenager. I knew I was better than the people around me and I was terrified of dying and not being remembered. I saw the method for immortality and I did so."

"Did it hurt a lot when you did the ritual?" asked Varix as she thought on the situation. Something wasn't adding up.

"Yes. I remember being in the Room of Requirement for nearly ten hours during the ritual and when I awoke so to speak, everything was in a sepia coloring and I couldn't leave the version of the castle in the diary. I was stuck."

Varix rolled her eyes as the whole problem was revealed. "Despite being a genius, you're kind of stupid."

He bristled at the insult, but she held her hand up to stall him.

"You made a Horcrux, at least, you think you did. A Horcrux has to be done only when you kill an innocent. Full out murder. Right after the kill is done. You just described to me, how you sent the Basilisk to do something, Myrtle saw it and died, and it immediately returned to tell you what happened. You didn't kill Myrtle. When you kill someone, your soul fractures.

Yes, you are a Horcrux of a sort. But Horcruxes are the kind of Dark Magic that is bad, because Soul Magick hurts you. Because you created a Horcrux of sorts without actually murdering anyone and without having a fractured soul, you managed to strip at least half of your soul from the original casing, taking with it, all of your rational thought and inherent pleasantness. This left your other self with only half a soul - which was damaged from you ripping it apart so suddenly - and all that negativity you grew up with.

Voldemort is insane. You haven't even read everything on what he did yet.

The problem here is that you used a Dark Ritual without fulfilling all the requirements. That's why it was painful. Making a Horcrux doesn't hurt. It's absorbing the Horcrux that is painful. You need to feel true remorse for the murder you committed, in order to take the soul piece back. Most don't live through the process. But because you messed up, I can say that if you plan to absorb your other self, good luck. It could hurt, or it might not hurt. I can't say, because I've never heard of this happening before. The clashing of temperaments might be too much for you to handle. His soul piece might overtake yours."

Tom was staring at the floor by the time she was finished. He also looked ready to blow.

"On to other things," Varix said, shifting for a better position in her chair. "What was your plan for the Ministry?"

Now that they were back on familiar footing that didn't seem to make him feel like an imbecile, Tom nodded. "I lived in an orphanage. It was terrible. Because I was better at everything, better than everyone else, they hated me. Bullied me. Treated me terribly. I don't like Muggles because no one helped me. No believed me. I was not given a good example and my hatred for Muggles stems from personal experience, not Pureblood bigotry.

There needs to be a magical orphanage. There is one in Japan, but only there. We need one here and now, because the Muggles wouldn't understand accidental magic, but proper matron witches would prevent bullying because of freakishness. They'd explain that there wasn't anything wrong with the children. They wouldn't force them to go through a six day long exorcism," Tom said harshly.

Poor kid. People aren't allowed to eat when being exorcised. The priests or the subject.

"We also need a magical primary school in Britain, like the Muggles have. When I was at Hogwarts, only Australia, Japan, and Brazil, had something similar to primary schools, for their young magical children. This would get the children used to life in the magical world earlier, making sure that they aren't grasping at the seams. Also, they wouldn't have to suddenly abandon their friends in the Muggle world and come to this new world where they don't know anyone and everything is an awkward, uphill battle."

Varix was nodding. "I like that. Most countries that have a magical government, actually have different schools. A lot of them have also begun to build colleges/universities to further magical study, but instead of the government paying for that type of schooling, they have to pay for it themselves."

"Yes, the British Ministry of Magic pays for Hogwarts. What really happens is they pay for the food. Food is one of those things that can't be created out of thin air. Laws of physics and magic apply there. The students buy the books and the uniforms, ingredients, and pets, in order to keep money circulating. The professors - if they aren't volunteering - are paid through a separate donation fund that was set up for them by the Ministry. If a class averages to an E or an O, they receive a rather large amount of pay. Anything below isn't worth much. So if they push, their pay is on the line.

Since magic can fix most other things, the Ministry simply purchased a large plot of land in Ireland and hired a great amount of Muggles to deal with it. The food comes from the land and the pay from the Ministry goes to the Muggles who work on it. Shipments are made by a Mass Portkey to Hogsmeade and the House Elves fetch it every month. It all comes full circle eventually."

Varix was reminded of Hermione. Tom was like a well of information that just had to inform people of what he knew.

Tom's form flickered a bit, but he still remained visible.

"I had gotten on the good side of all the important professors. Especially Slughorn, who had connections. I was his star pupil. I planned to go into the Wizarding Child Services Division and work my way up from there. But now… with the original's mistakes, I'll have even more work ahead of me."

The Slytherin sighed.

"And what about your fixation on Harry Potter? You sent him the poem, right?"

Tom's lips pulled into a small smile. "He's different than what I expected," he said softly. "I know that my other self is regarded as the greatest Dark Lord in history. The prestige that would undoubtedly come from being the person to slay such a foe, would be unimaginable and yet, Harry Potter is innocent, a bit naive, and kind. Not at all what I'd expect a famous Gryffindor to be like."

"He was supposed to be a Slytherin but people worked him over when he learned he had magic. He was convinced that all Slytherins were bad and evil and he didn't want to be evil by being put there. Also, Draco Malfoy is like his bully of a Muggle cousin. Spoiled rotten and pompous. Harry can't stand the brat. So he begged for anywhere else and the Sorting Hat put him with the lions.

Harry grew up being hated by his supposed 'family' and worked like a House Elf because of them. They fear and hate magic. Dumbledore apparently didn't want him to get a 'big head' with the fame."

Tom's eyes hardened instantly. "That is the sort of treatment that I wanted to prevent! Bloody Muggles!"

Varix's hand flashed faster than either of them could see, but by the time it was over, Tom was clutching his cheek, looking at her like she was insane.

She sneered at him, "Are you really that much of a hypocrite? You'll blame the whole group of non-magical humans simply because of your shitty childhood? Harry doesn't blame all of the Muggles. His best friend has Muggle parents! The Grangers are nice people and have even gone so far as to purchase books on the wizarding world so they could better understand the laws and their daughter's schooling. You don't see Harry blaming all of the wizarding population because Dumbledore left him with those people.

Hate Muggles all you want, but don't be ridiculous. Harry has more reasons to hate them. You didn't know those people and held no relation of any kind to them, but his blood relatives did that to him. And while I'm on it, your other self murdered his parents. Harry doesn't hate all wizards because of Voldemort's actions toward his family."

She and Tom stared each other down.

He finally gave a small nod. Sharp. The problem was dropped, allowing them to return to more important matters of discussion.

"You refer to Harry so informally. You're his fairy godmother, aren't you?"

She grinned, "Damn straight! He'll be a lawyer by the time I'm finished with him."

"Caustic, cunning, and clever? Basically a Slytherin?"

"Sort of, but a little nicer and a lot less concerned over appearances."

"Appearances can say a lot about a person," he said ominously.

"True, but I want him to think more clearly at the moment. He may be reading etiquette books, but he won't be actively using the information for a while. He still forgets that I can grant wishes. And he remembers to thank me when he does make a wish. Six months and he sees me more as a friend than a well of wishes."

Tom was smiling. He seemed to really like Harry.

"So," Varix began, intending to get the last issue out of the way. "Convince me on why I should let you kill someone to get a body of your own in order to become a real person again. Convince me on why I should allow you to date my kid."

"I was originally going to use Ginny, but I felt that that wouldn't endear Harry to me, so I've fixed my views on Lockhart."

Varix sat up in interest. The creep was a liar. None of his books made sense, half of them had incorrect information and she even knew the vampire lord from Voyages With Vampires personally, and he had a completely different story from Lockhart's. Also, Lockhart had no respect for magical creatures and beings. His treatment of the Dwarves all for Valentines Day was enough to annoy her. He literally had used up all points and was walking on thin ice.

"He's a fraud," Tom revealed. "I - through Ginny - stole some Veritaserum from the Snape man's potions cupboard and used it on him. He lied. His only skill is Obliviation. Half of his books are truth, which he took from the original wizards and witches and then Obliviated them, before leaving them for dead in dangerous places. The rest is all fictional and too fantastical to be truth. I don't like him and whenever he's around Harry, he's gets too... physical."

Truth. Lockhart was very touchy feely with Harry. Pedo-bear.

"Fine. The next time you petrify people, make it a large crowd. That way the professors will send Lockhart out to deal with the problem. You get him, do whatever, and I'll make everything in his office and private rooms, disappear.

Now about my godson."

"I like him. At first it was just interest, but his defense of the Slytherin girl captured my heart in a sense."

Varix quirked a brow. His heart was captured all because Harry defended a Slytherin from a Gryffindor bully? Did the kids these days not have anything else that interested them in people?

"You do know he's twelve, right?"

"Going on thirteen."

She snorted, "We're talking about a kid who isn't used to affection. Whose first hug came from his friend Hermione. Who sees his crying as a weakness. And you want to start a romance with him?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because he's worth it."

Alright, she was on board.

Technically, as she had already been to the future thanks to the lapse in times between the fairy realm and the mortal realm, she already knew what would happen, to an extent. But just because she knew the outcome, did not mean that she couldn't make it difficult for the boy. _No, no, no_. He was going to work for Harry's affections. Plain, old fashioned wooing.

Varix sent the teen a toothy grin, delighting in the wary look he adopted. This would be _fun_.

* * *

The next day, Hagrid was carted off by the Minister for Magic. No trial. No proof. He was imprisoned unjustly and when Varix told Harry, he flipped out.

On another note, Tom's diary had been given to Lockhart and a mild compulsion made him write in it.

Soon, the Chamber of Secrets business would be over with and things would return to normal.

* * *

**A/N: Another is done.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Tom didn't kill Myrtle so he didn't fulfill the requirement for the Horcrux ritual. So he tore his soul in half instead of separating a fractured piece. This started Voldy on the crazy path.
> 
> -Did you like my manip of Lilly/Varix?! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varix educates the midgets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check the end.
> 
> Lockhart is gone! YESSSSS!

**A/N: Hello, people! Thank you for liking this story!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

During Lockhart's next class for the second year Gryffindors and Slytherins, Varix appeared the moment they sat down and she knocked Lockhart unconscious. Said fool had just been going on and on about how he knew that Hagrid had been behind the attacks and how he tried to convince the gentle half-Giant to stop his dastardly deeds, when he was arrested. Varix, in a fit of annoyance, knocked him out and told the class that Hagrid wasn't Slytherin's Heir.

"Honestly, are you trying to tell me that you believe that  _Hagrid_  is the Heir of Slytherin?" she asked. It may have seemed mean, but truth nonetheless. Hagrid wasn't the brightest star in the sky and trying to claim that he was behind all of the drama was like trying to say that Americans didn't love fast food.

The students giggled a bit.

"This leads me to a lovely point right now. Your corrupted Ministry."

The students quieted down when they saw how serious she had gotten. Varix was reclining in her purple chair that she had summoned, looking around for a moment.

"So, fifty years ago, Hagrid was blamed for the chamber being opened. The Ministry, in order to look like they were doing something after a Muggleborn student was killed, decided to go with the word of the young man who brought the complaint forward. They did not investigate. They simply told him he was expelled and snapped his wand. It is only by Dumbledore's good graces, that Hagrid was allowed to remain on the grounds."

Harry's jaw was tense and he felt himself ready to snap at anyone.

"Again, your Ministry messes up. Hagrid was carted away to Azkaban without a trial. And any of you who were raised to know the laws of Magical Britain, you'd know that when someone is arrested, they  _must_  be given a trial. They then must be legally found guilty of the crime they were arrested for, before they can be shipped off to Azkaban. Your Ministry has a habit of imprisoning people without giving them trials which is against the law. A lot of innocent people are sitting in Azkaban Prison right now, because the Ministry can't be bothered to follow the laws."

Wide eyes all around.

"The records for the trials can be found in the Record Room in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They cannot legally close any of the records. Not even the Minister has the power over that. All evidence is there. I have visited this lovely room and found several people who were carted right off to Azkaban without a trial and no proof that they were guilty. I'd advise you to write your parents to make doubly sure any family members aren't suffering unduly."

She saw a good amount of the Slytherin students sharing looks. Harry was looking determined, most likely thinking of Sirius.

"Now, I personally found several people who were imprisoned without a trial. I don't care if they were actually guilty, but the law is that they must have a trial and your government is being operated by a man who has broken that law several times. Now, can you trust someone who willingly ignores the laws?"

She had a plan in mind. In order to get an inquiry for Sirius Black, she'd have to get the attention of the Ministry and press. So, if there were already demands for trials and questionings going on, her demand wouldn't seem so out of place. Harry had the power as the heir to two Most Ancient and Noble Houses, to request trials, but Varix wanted to cause a lot of upheaval, so she planned to strike while the iron was hot!

This would also play into the unsealing of the Potter's Will.

"Your Minister is even pushing to have a law put in place that the Minister for Magical Britain, doesn't have to follow the law, if he doesn't want to."

Hermione's hand shot up. "Is he allowed to do that?"

Varix huffed a laugh. "He shouldn't be, but Cornelius Fudge has awarded himself an Order of Merlin, Second Class for every year he's been Minister. The public hasn't taken too well to that because he hasn't actually done any good for your society. In fact, Magical Britain's debt has risen ever since he was elected. On the International Scale of Wizarding Debt, Britain is tied for last place, with the United States of America, both at seven and a half billion Galleons, give or take a few as the numbers change daily. Coincidentally, Australia is at the top being only one Galleon in debt.

You can find these records in the Record Room as well if you don't believe me."

The students looked horrified.

A Slytherin raised his hand. He was dark-skinned like she was, but with green eyes. "Why are you telling us all of this?"

Varix smirked. "You need to learn to think for yourselves. Don't let the Daily Prophet tell you that Britain is the 'leading society of the wizarding world' to quote their last paper. That's a load of crap."

The Slytherins were nodding.

"Take it like this. Parseltongue is known in Britain because Salazar Slytherin spoke it. People here view it as an evil talent. Talking to a snake, isn't evil. Some people can talk to cats. The cat language is called Purrintongue. Is Purrintongue considered bad because the Dark Lady Sisi Whitby of Hufflepuff, spoke it and controlled felines in a way that would make your stomach roll?" she asked the class.

"A Hufflepuff Dark Lady?" Seamus Finnegan snorted, making some other Gryffindors laugh with him.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. She would summon rats and mice and implant them into her captives, usually in the intestines. She'd then tell the cats to get them, by clawing her captives open in order to get to their meals. They'd bleed to death, while in excruciating pain."

Her small explanation made several students wretch all over the floor by their seats. With a snap of the fingers, the floor was clean once more.

"So you see, an old talent was used for horrible purposes. But then there are Animal Healers who speak various animal tongues, Purrintongue being one of them. They take care of animals. They're doing good with their abilities.

Like in India. India has the largest assortment of magical snakes in the world. Parselmouths are regarded as gods over there. They don't want to kill the snakes, because a lot of important potions must be made with their venom or the shed skin of the various snakes. Being able to communicate with serpents to get them to stop attacking people or to get them to comply with their wishes, is revered as a blessing. Do you know how many times a snake slithers into someone's bed over in India? And magical snakes are more resistant to spells, so trying to kill them will rile them up, and getting away becomes difficult."

The Malfoy boy frowned. "So then, why are we told certain things are bad? Why are they labeled as Dark?"

"Because there are people who can't do them!"

Varix popped off her chair, scaring some of the students with her sudden movement.

"As a fairy, your laws don't apply to me. When in the mortal realm, I only have to abide by the laws given to me by my queen, the Enchantress. Anything your government considers to be Dark and against the law, I can do if I want."

She grabbed the gilded letter opener from Lockhart's desk and stabbed her hand with it, making some of the students gasp.

"So this is a wound. I am going to heal it, with Dark Arts."

"You can  _heal_  with the Dark Arts?" Ron Weasley asked suddenly, looking confused.

"Yes. Dark is just a description of core magic. There is Light, Grey, and Dark. But Britain has twisted the meanings of Dark and Grey and made them into 'Evil'. The Dark Arts I'm using is an old form of Elvish from the Ebony Elves."

Placing her middle and index fingers over the wound, she closed her eyes and began to hum, her voice fluctuating through several pitches before calming down and ending with a low C.

She opened her eyes to see the students watching her, eyes wide.

"That was beautiful," Parvati Patil whispered, receiving several nods of agreement.

"Thank you," Varix smiled, showing the student's her now healed palm. She sat in her seat once more.

"That is something that went out of practice five centuries ago. The Ebony Elves were a branch of the High Elves. High Elves were known for saturating their words with magic. There were Carmine Elves for Battle Magick, who could create disasters with their words and songs. There were the Harlequin Elves who specialized in Divination and Hypnotism, and then there were the Ebony Elves for Healing, and finally the Zaffre Elves, who kept Peace.

They used to be a prominent aid in the mortal magical world, but a Spanish wizard by the name of Edmund de la Zaffron, killed the wife of the High Elves' Leader M`aufr, when she declined his invitation for dinner. Instead of starting war like the Carmine Elves wanted to, M`aufr of the Zaffre Elves, decided that the Elves were finished with the mortals and gave his life and magic to create another realm for the Elven species to reside in. The Elves departed post haste and haven't been seen by mortals since.

Zaffron, still hardened by being denied, spread horrible slander about the Elves and British wizard Evan Rosier, ran with it and began horror stories about the High Elves and within a century anything about them was considered taboo. The Ministry of Magic was created a few years later and one of the first rules of the British Ministry was that no Elvish magics were to be practiced by wizards or witches. They labeled it as evil. Two centuries ago, it was relabeled as Dark.

So, you saw me heal with it, but it's considered to be evil by the Ministry. The story of the High Elves has been redacted. No one talks of them unless behind good Wards."

Millicent Bulstrode, whom Varix remembered fondly as the 'female Crabbe' raised her hand. "Even though it heals it's considered evil?"

"Yes. You know, the Russians never forgave Zaffron for his actions. To this day, things between magical Russia and magical Spain are very strained. And because of Rosier's actions, the Russians and their neighbors don't look favorably on magical Britain either. Many High Elves had married into Russian families, gifting their children with powers unlike mortal magicals had ever seen and with them gone, the abilities soon died away without the new blood and magic to enhance them in the family lines."

So it was a history lesson. That was okay. They needed to learn their history in order to not make the same damn mistakes in the future.

"That's why British/Russian relations are so difficult!" said the Malfoy heir.

"Yes."

"What about-"

**RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!**

Class was over.

The kids all groaned but shuffled their books into the bags and stood to leave. Until Parvati Patil noticed something and asked, "What happened to your dress, Miss Fairy?"

Varix looked down and smiled. "First, you can call me Lilly. It's my Indian name that I was given the last time I was in India. Since I pass for an Indian rather well, I've been using the name Lilly Singh for a while.

On the subject of my dress, technically it isn't a dress. I was created like all other fairies are, by the first laugh of a child, any kind of child, and Pixie dust. The 'dress' is a physical representation of my power. Using Elvish Healing takes a lot of power so my 'dress' is shorter because I used a lot of magic. The more magic I use before my next sleep, the shorter my 'dress' will get."

In truth, her ankle length dress had gone from her ankles to her calves.

"If a human attempted Elvish Magic, they'd most likely be unconscious. That's why not a lot of people can do it."

With a wave, she popped away, leaving them to their thoughts.

* * *

Hermione immediately went to the library after lunch, like many of the other students, looking up what they'd learned in class that day.

Some wanted to know about Sisi Whitby, others wanted to know about Russian/British relations. And some simply checked out books on fairies.

Dumbledore practically exploded when he heard what Varix had told the students. He even boldly challenged her in the middle of the Great Hall during dinner. Varix, unable to let it be, decided to take him up on it.

"Hi! Hey! Yeah, I'm Lilly, the one you've been cursing out for the past few minutes. How you doing?" she greeted with a smirk, layering on the accent she'd learned in India.

"You will leave my students alone! Stop filling their heads with nonsense!" the old wizard demanded.

"It's truth, not nonsense, you old fool. Just like how you have the power to create laws, pass those laws, and then teach them to the students, Mister Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock, Headmaster Dumbledore."

That had the children whispering immediately.

Dumbledore's wand was drawn but Varix was faster, taking it from him with a simple snap of the fingers. She looked down at it as it appeared in her hand. "This wasn't even yours. The reason all the people who have ever held it, lose it in battle or die young, is because it was created with a certain line of wizards in mind and you are not from that line. That's why you look so old despite being only one hundred and eleven.

Well, it's mine now and I know who I'll give it to later."

She twirled it between her fingers. "I can't believe how careless you were with it. What if it got into the hands of another Dark Lord? Your reflexes aren't as great as they used to be. And don't presume to tell me that I shouldn't help the children from becoming mindless drones. It's for their benefit. I care nothing for your stupid 'greater good'. Ironic that you live by the same phrase the Dark Lord Grindelwald lived by."

She disappeared then, taking the Elder Wand with her and leaving the school with information that would spread by the end of the day.

Debasing Dumbledore's name.

She loved being devious. It was so much fun!

* * *

In the beginning of April, mass panic filled Hogwarts as a large group of students was petrified, found all over the first floor.

Ginny Weasley was also revealed to be missing and no one could find her. All locator charms were not working. What really happened, was Varix had taken her and put her into a deep sleep while covering her with wards that none but another fairy could see through. She then forced Severus Snape into aiding her by telling him to suggest that Ginny had been taken into the chamber itself. He would then tell Lockhart to go and get the girl since he claimed to know exactly where the chamber was. The other professors, in hopes of getting rid of him, would agree to the plan. Lockhart's cowardice would be revealed as he ran away and the students would then learn of his treachery.

So when the students gathered around, listening to the professors talk quietly, Lockhart swaggered on up, teeth gleaming.

"So sorry. I dozed off. What have I missed?"

Snape immediately turned on him and smiled cruelly. "Your moment has come at last, Gilderoy. Weren't you saying just yesterday that you've known all along where the chamber was?"

Lockhart paled instantly. "I-I did?" he squeaked.

Sprout nodded sagely, "Yes. And you have been saying that the Ministry should have just given you free reign over the whole debacle."

"R-Really, I-I don't r-remember."

"Aye, Gilderoy," Mcgonagall smiled sweetly. "A student may have been taken into the chamber and you must go down and fetch her. Dispose of the monster while you're at it. Won't you?"

"Yes," agreed Flitwick. "No one but you could ever manage this."

Lockhart looked around at the faces of his colleagues, looking for a way out. When he saw none, he stiffened his upper lip. "Then I'll just be… getting ready."

He turned and walked away, hands trembling.

Varix followed after him, waiting until he was inside his office and began packing his things in haste, before summoning the diary and planting it on him. Tom immediately took over and Varix cast a disillusioning charm on him.

"Go deal with him, I'll take care of this."

Tom, using Lockhart's body, nodded and walked out. Varix snapped her fingers, gathering everything into the large trunks that Lockhart had purchased. They were bright lilac, the man's favorite color.

With a sneer, she turned herself into a Lockhart clone and grabbed the trunks. She then left the office and filled the last trunk with all the paintings of Lockhart that were covering the classroom. She sneaked from the room and down the third floor corridor, hoping not to run into anyone.

She thanked the heavens that no one was left on the first floor, since the students had to be moved to the Hospital Wing. She was crossing the grounds in the next few moments, making her way toward the gates, when the ground beneath her feet, exploded.

She fell to the ground, dropping the trunks in the process.

Getting to her feet, she whirled around to see Severus Snape staring at her.

"Going somewhere, Gilderoy?" the man sneered.

Varix's mind was already working. This would be a opportunity to get Lockhart in trouble.

"Yes. I have been called away to a very important meeting that cannot be rescheduled. So sorry, got to dash!" she mimicked him, leaning down to grab 'her' trunks.

A stinging hex to the hand stopped her advancement.

She whipped out a fake wand and pointed it at Snape.

"You don't want to go putting your nose where it doesn't belong, Severus."

Snape sneered. "And why shouldn't I?"

"Because like so many others before you who discovered my duplicity, they don't remember long enough to tell anyone. And just like them, you won't remember this encounter either."

"You? You who can't even perform a simple disarming charm, expect to defeat me?" Snape asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't be so full of myself, Severus. After all, I've proven to be a master Obliviator. None of the witches and wizards I've Obliviated remember their amazing quests. None of them even remember telling me about their accomplishments, nor my Obliviating them and taking their adventures for my own!" she boasted with pride.

"You're a fraud," Snape said in realization.

"Obviously," she said in a poor imitation of Snape. "Do you think those books would sell at all if people hadn't thought  _I'd_  done all of those things? Use your brain. And now, I'm going to have to deal with you, Severus."

Raising the fake wand, she lashed out with a white beam of light that was nothing more than a beam of white light and said the word, "Obliviate!" like she was actually casting the spell.

The light hit him in the chest and she turned, grabbing 'her' things and fleeing as quickly as she could, passing the gates and 'Apparating' away.

Worked like a charm.

Literally.

* * *

Severus Snape knew Lockhart was a fool and an unskilled buffoon, but he didn't think it went so deep. But the man just admitted to stealing his information and Obliviating the people who had originally done such great feats. He then attempted to Obliviate Severus, and ran for it.

The fool hadn't even stayed to see if his memory charm worked, which it hadn't.

Severus turned and called a House Elf, which appeared before him. "Take me to the Headmaster's office, please."

"Right away, Master Snape, sir."

She grabbed his hand and Apparated them to said office, where the other Heads of House were meeting with the Headmaster.

The Elf popped away.

"Lockhart has fled," Severus announced

"He did?!" Minerva gasped.

"What? You expected him to stay?"

"Are you certain that he fled, Severus?" Albus asked, looked far too old at the moment.

Severus placed his wand at his temple and concentrated, He then pulled a long, silvery strand away. "Would you like to witness it?"

The Headmaster waved his hand, making the Pensieve in his office, float on over to his desk. Severus stepped up and placed the memory inside. The other four occupants in the room dipped their heads inside while Severus waited.

When they emerged, Minerva was spitting fireballs, literally, while the others looked solemn. Albus however, seemed even more so than usual.

"I had a feeling that he was a liar, but I hadn't thought it had gone this far."

Minerva's head snapped up. "You hired him despite knowing that he was a fraud?!" she hissed.

"I wanted to flush him out," Albus said with a shrug.

"You said the same about Quirinus, last year," Filius commented, looking displeased.

"That man wasn't even qualified to teach our students, Albus!" Minerva barked. "You have blatantly jeopardized the education of our students two years in a row! Here you are, attempting to convince me that the fairy is disruptive but she's only been trying to right your wrongs! What do you have to say for yourself, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore?!"

"Thank you!" an unexpected voice rang out.

They all whipped around to see the infamous fairy. Only Severus knew that she was Potter's fairy godmother. She was grinning madly.

"Anyway, I've known for a while that Lockhart was a fake. I stole some of Snape's Veritaserum recently and dosed him with it. He revealed that most of the stuff in his books is false and the rest is embellishments. Besides, I know Lord Cecil, the Vampire Lord from  _Voyages With Vampires_ , personally and I brought him Lockhart's book. According to him, he met a young gypsy by the name of Esmeralda, and went on the voyage with her. He's never heard of Gilderoy Lockhart. And it's not like any sane human would go searching for the Vampire Lord just to verify if Lockhart was telling the truth," she explained with a shrug.

Severus glared at her. "You owe me for that potion," he growled darkly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll clean your classrooms, how about that?" she offered, to which he agreed hastily. He wouldn't have to do it and that was fine by him.

"That's all well and good, but we still need to find Ms. Weasley," Minerva huffed, obviously worried for one of her youngest lions.

"The littlest redhead is sleeping on her bed, in Gryffindor Tower."

There was a collective sigh of relief.

Severus eyed the fairy, "Do you know if there even is a Chamber of Secrets?"

"Well, I don't really think so. I've even searched the castle and found nothing. Though I did find a magical room on the seventh floor corridor that changes for what you need it to be. Other than that, nothing. And besides, it's not difficult to petrify someone. Anyone about fifth year and up would be able to do it. So it's not like this is something that is rare. This could be just a vindictive student, since I've noticed that all the petrified students are bullies with no friends because their actions have pushed others away."

Severus' mouth tightened. He didn't want to believe that Draco could be that bad. Lucius had been one of the few to reach out to him while he was a pariah in school. Lucius had standards and Draco had to meet them, but even Severus knew that Draco wore only the very best clothing and had personal fittings done. Draco even bought his way into the Quidditch Team, because there was no other way he'd make it.

He sighed lightly, knowing that between Potter and Draco, Draco was a spoiled brat if a mere threat to his father got him whatever he wanted.

The fairy was sending him a smirk. "Yeah, your brat of a godson is a spoiled little twit. I don't give a damn about how you feel about it, it's truth. Like, how many times has his father heard about the unfair treatment he's been getting this year?"

Severus sneered since he had no other response to give without admitting anything. But she smirked anyhow.

The fairy waved and disappeared, leaving them to their meeting.

"Pomona, how far along are the Mandrake Draughts?" Minerva asked after a moment.

"One more week," the stout witch answered with pride.

"Then we don't need to inform the Ministry of this," Albus concluded, earning four baleful glares.

"Albus," Severus began. "Draco was among this lot of petrified students. His parents demanded to be informed if he was attacked again. I swore an Oath and I will not break it. Narcissa will have my head otherwise. And once Lucius knows, he'll go to Fudge."

"We also have to tell him about Gilderoy's running," Filius added.

Albus hadn't looked so downtrodden in years.

* * *

A few days later, Rubeus Hagrid was returned to Hogwarts. Since he wasn't at the school when the next attack happened, he couldn't have been the one behind it. Also, his heritage as a half-Giant was revealed and his human half was from a Muggleborn.

Hagrid was given a sizable amount of Galleons for his troubles and he was also allowed to get another wand and take his O.W.L.s.

Hermione promised to help him study and Harry on the side, wished that Hagrid's understanding and retention was sharpened just like his was. The Golden Trio intended to help their friend pass his O.W.L.s. If he did and reached the amount he was supposed to have, he'd be able to take over for Professor Kettleburn who wanted to retire. Hagrid loved magical creatures after all and it was the perfect job for him.

A hit was put out for Gilderoy Lockhart's head when it was revealed that he was charged with rescuing Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets and he fled instead. No one could find him anywhere.

Hermione was heartbroken when Varix informed them of what she'd learned of the man. A fraud and a murderer. She'd fancied such a person for a good portion of the school year and it took some chocolate to make her feel better. Also, revealing that every other witch and even some wizards in Britain had been fooled as well, made her feel a little better over the whole ordeal.

Coincidentally, the petrified victims were all resuscitated and all said the same thing. They couldn't remember what had happened. A white light and then nothing.

It all met with Draco Malfoy's words when he'd been awakened every time. He didn't know what happened and no one else did either.

Since the most powerful of memory charms was white and everyone had known that Lockhart was a liar and a master Obliviator, blame was placed on him and he was moved from wanted alive, to wanted dead or alive. Since he appeared for the year and the attacks only stopped when he disappeared, it was a sound assumption.

The Chamber of Secrets was left to be thought of as a myth and everyone went with the idea that Lockhart was simply trying to get himself even more famous but his plans fell through.

The end of the year exams came suddenly and Harry passed everything with Os. His first time ever getting such great grades. And he'd complained about Varix making him reread passages over and over until he memorized them, but it all paid off. He ended up tying Blaise Zabini for second place, with Hermione holding first all on her own since she got extra points on nearly everything, receiving O+ on nearly every exam.

Harry had been so excited he even gave the fairy a big hug because he didn't know how else to express himself.

* * *

On the train ride to Platform 9 ¾, the Gryffindor trio's joking was disrupted by Varix's scream of surprise.

She shot up from her seat and stared at Ron, who was looking around in confusion. But she was pointing at his lap, where Scabbers the rat was sitting.

"What is  _that_?!" she demanded.

Ron looked down and cradled Scabbers close. "Scabbers has been in my family for almost twelve years," he squeaked. "I thought you knew of him. He's really lazy and pathetic, he won't hurt you or anything."

Varix was still staring at the fat rat, eyes transfixed.

"You know there is no such thing as a magical rat? Rats don't live long. A domesticated one is lucky to reach four years at the least. That rat has a magical core and it shouldn't."

Scabbers began to struggle in Ron's grip and Varix snapped the compartment door closed and locked it.

"Drop the rat, Ronald."

"What? Why?"

"Because it isn't a rat. It's a human pretending to be one."

Scabbers was moving frantically and bit Ron's thumb. Ron dropped him with a loud yelp. Varix stunned the creature and with a snap of the fingers, it grew into a man. A short, chubby, balding man.

Varix reversed the transformation and stunned him once again. She lifted the fake rat by the tail. "I'm getting your father. This is creepy and he'll be in Azkaban by the time I'm finished with him."

Just before she left, she quickly healed Ron's bleeding finger before popping away.

* * *

Varix barged right into the Ministry and up to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office where she found Arthur working diligently over a teapot that was floating.

"Arthur, do you recognize this?" she asked the startled man.

He adjusted his glasses and peered at the rat closely.

"Scabbers."

"Not really. Animagus pretending to be a pet."

Arthur's blue eyes widened in horror.

"As your son is the one who was violated by him, I figured you'd like to come with me to report him?"

The man nodded and left his desk, asking one of the other men in the office to finish his project for him.

They made their way up to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, walking into the Auror Office and bee lining it to the only walled cubicle.

The gathered Aurors watched as they walked in and Varix called out to Head Auror Amelia Bones.

The woman looked up from her desk, surprise covering her features when Varix laid the rat on the floor.

"This is the Weasley Family's pet rat. At least, that's what they thought. Turns out that it's a man, who has pretended to be a pet for twelve years."

She snapped her fingers, reversing the transformation and the chubby man laid there, looking around wildly.

Arthur and Madam Bones' wands were trained on him in seconds.

"He's been sleeping in the same bed as my son Ronald and before Ronald was Percival," Arthur explained, taking a closer look at the man. He gasped suddenly, "Peter Pettigrew?"

The man's eyes snapped to Arthur, "M-my, my old friend!" he whimpered.

"I thought Pettigrew was dead," Madam Bones commented.

"He's supposed to be," Varix added. "But look, he's missing a finger and all they could find of Pettigrew, was a finger."

Their eyes trailed to the hand that was obviously missing a finger.

"This just works out for me," Varix added. "My godson, Harry James Potter, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter and Black, wants a trial for his godfather, Sirius Orion Black."

All three humans gasped.

" _Why_?" Madam Bones asked in horror.

"Because he never received a trial and with this one alive, his imprisonment is looking fishy."

Amelia's head fell into her palm. "Not another one."

"Oh _yes_!"

"How can he still be listed as Mr. Potter's godfather, he's in prison?" she asked.

"Because he was never actually convicted of a crime. And even if he was, he'd have to be guilty of that crime for magic to remove him."

Madam Bones was frowning. "I'm getting sick of my job."

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

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**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -All Disney names and references aren't mine.
> 
> -Remember, Varix looks like Lilly Singh and her code name for anyone who doesn't know her is Lilly Singh.
> 
> -The information about Varix's dress I got from Bleach. Ichigo Kurosaki claimed in one of the chapters that his robe when using Bankai, represents how much power he has left. The more he uses, the more the robe eats away. He told Captain Unohana that he didn't have much power left and showed her his 'I only have one sleeve'.
> 
> -I created Sisi Whitby as well as the cat language Purrintongue.
> 
> Woot woot! Pettigrew in trouble.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varix isn't the best adult in the world. Remember, she only recently reached majority, but that doesn't mean she's no longer in the teenager stage. Most 20 something year olds aren't ready to be adults.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Varix and humor.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Harry didn't know what to think when Varix appeared at the station and took him to Potter Manor immediately. She told him to go inside and tell Winnie to lock the entire property down until she returned. Varix promised that he wouldn't go back to the Dursleys and he'd hold her to that.

Before she left, he made a wish.

"I wish that whatever plan you have concerning Dumbledore and Sirius, would work out the way you want it to."

She froze for a moment,. staring at him in awe, before a slowly smiled crept across her lips. " _That_ , is how you make a wish!" she cheered, snapping her fingers. "And it shall be done. Thanks, Harry."

She was gone for hours and Harry had to entertain himself with his summer assignments. And Snape's five foot essay was torture!

Winnie assured him that everything would be fine, but that he'd have to be patient. Harry could do that. He always had to do that while at the Dursley's house. Waiting for the night to roll around. Dudley wouldn't be whining and he wouldn't have to hear Vernon's grumpy complaints or Petunia's strident caterwauling.

He didn't see Varix until the next morning, where he found her sitting in the dining hall, sipping tea. Up until then, he'd never seen her eat anything.

"Do you ever eat?" he asked, seating himself at the head of the table which was to her right.

"Yeah, just not what you'd think. I can eat food, but I don't usually do so. I thrive on sunlight and water. The 'dress' is a part of me. It doesn't come off, ever. It's formed around my wings," she explained, showing him her back and how the wings indeed, seemed to sprout from the dress itself.

"I can shower if I want, but usually a cleaning charm is enough if I don't want to waste time."

"Why would showering be a waste of time?" Harry asked, murmuring a small 'thank you' to Tilly, the Elf who bought him breakfast.

"Before you, I skipped school all the time. I came to the mortal realm and I would laze about. I mean, your mortal laws don't apply to me, so I can create currency at any time. I can pretend to be people. I can confound people. Do what I want besides breaking my queen's laws.

Some money made from magic, some special charm work, and I was able to laze about. Because that's what I did. As a fairy godparent, magic is easy to me. Unlike most others, my kind don't have to try very hard to learn. And my Semantic Memory allows me to cheat. I know spells that allow me to transfer knowledge from books to my brain and I'd remember everything I'd learned. It would seem unfair to some, but I didn't want to be in class all the time. I wanted to have fun. To mess around.

To be honest with you, I was worried about being given a kid of my own, because I'm not the best role model. I'll lie if need be. I'll steal if it comes to that. For years I preferred to spend time in this realm just sleeping, partying, and having fun. So suddenly being responsible for someone, especially a child who is impressionable, it was a shock."

" _You_  partied?" Harry asked, unable to believe it.

"I learned that Muggle alcohol is strong. I don't want you drinking until you're fifteen. On one of my many adventures, I got a tattoo on my foot. Didn't remember getting it 'cause I was drunk, but I have it."

"But in Britain the legal drinking age is sixteen."

"No drinking Muggle alcohol until you are fifteen. Trust me, your midget body wouldn't handle a hangover well. And I most certainly wouldn't brew you a potion to cure it."

"You're pretty much telling me to break the law."

"You can break any law, so long as you aren't caught," she shrugged, before wincing suddenly. "That wasn't something I should have told you, was it?"

"I don't think so," he snorted.

She shrugged again. "It's not like you're immature. It's okay. You have a good head on your shoulders. You can discern which laws should be broken and when."

Harry decided not to comment because he had a feeling that she wouldn't see it like he did.

"What happened last night?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Well Peter Pettigrew was revealed to be a rat animagus who had been hiding in the Weasley family for twelve years. He was simply going to be charged with child endangerment, pedophiloia, and of course the five years for being an unregistered Animagus, until someone caught a look at his left forearm, which held the Dark Mark.

They questioned him and the fool tells them that he 'didn't mean to join the Dark Lord'. That the man had powers that none could imagine and that they shouldn't blame him."

Varix scoffed into her teacup.

"So it was established that he was a Death Eater and that was before someone suggested using Veritaserum, most powerful truth potion to exist. The Chief Warlock, Dumbledore, denied the request.

And then he was asked about Sirius Black and said they couldn't blame him for killing the Muggles because Sirius was going to kill him and he didn't want to die."

Harry stopped eating his eggs. "He just admitted that Sirius Black didn't kill the twelve Muggles, to the open court?" he shook his head. "And since he obviously isn't dead, Sirius didn't kill him either. And since he was revealed to be a follower of Voldemort, he isn't so innocent."

"No," agreed Varix. "Sirius's trial is the last in a very long list of trials unfortunately. Fifty-seven people in Azkaban from the last war, chucked in there without a trial. The Ministry is up to their ears in trials. I tried to get it pushed up, but Dumbledore stopped it again."

Harry sighed. "How soon do you think his trial will be?"

"Anywhere from a week to two. Depends on how many trials they'll hold a day."

"And do you think that he'll be found innocent, since Pettigrew pretty much admitted he was guilty?"

"High chance he's freed, but we'd need a good Goblin lawyer to make it easier. Goblins are ruthless. Also, since the last Lord Black has passed and he never evicted Sirius from the family tree and kept him as the Heir, Sirius has been Lord Black since 1991, which makes you the Heir now. You go speak to the Black Account Manager and he'll most likely know laws about Heads of Most Ancient and Noble Houses being imprisoned without a trial.

I'll take you tomorrow to sort it all out. And then for some shopping."

Harry nodded, going back to his eggs.

* * *

"We can use the fact that he was the Heir and is now the Lord to our advantage," said Unstoglck, Head of the Black Accounts. "Magic is a sentient being and she decides often for our society. Take your guardianship, Heir Potter-Black. Lord Black and Varix, are in green ink, because Magic accepts them as your guardians. Petunia Dursley is in red, because Magic doesn't approve of her, but you were forced into her care against Magic's wishes."

Harry was nodding, having wished for even better understanding before they left Potter Manor that morning. He was able to keep up with what the wizened Goblin was saying.

"If Lord Black was indeed guilty of his supposed crime, his ink would be in red and then a strikethrough would cover the word, showing that he was unfit to be your guardian. The fact that he is still your godfather and guardian says a lot about his innocence."

"Will that be enough, though?"

"Possibly, but your fairy is looking to turn the Ministry on its head, so to speak. Therefore, we will use all avenues available to us. This means bringing out the laws involving Heirs and Heads of Most Ancient and Noble Houses, and there are many, Heir Potter-Black."

"Unstoglck, you can call me Harry. I mean, I'm allowed to call you by name so it's only fair," Harry smiled lightly.

The Goblin stared for a moment, before giving a slow nod.

"Okay then… Harry. We can also get your parents' Will unsealed if Lord Black demands it along with your fairy godmother. Two of your guardians - one being a Lord - making the same demand and then you as the Heir to two Most Ancient and Noble Houses, agreeing with them, will then override the Chief Warlock's order. Your parents' Will, should also have information needed to implicate Pettigrew and free Lord Black."

"Okay, so when do we have to get Sirius to make the demand?"

" _I_  will be the one going… Harry. Though not necessarily a danger to you, Lord Black has been in the mortal equivalent of hell for the past twelve years. Dementors are terrible creatures and most go insane within the first year there. If he has any semblance of sanity left, it'll be a miracle. Also, they don't bathe and rarely eat in Azkaban. Lord Black will be ghastly to look upon and I'd prefer it if you didn't see him at his lowest."

Harry looked to Varix, who was nodding slightly. "Is it really that bad?"

"And then some," the fairy nodded. "He'll also have to go to St. Mungo's after all of this. Twelve years will have some effect on him. Before being allowed in your presence, he'll have to undergo mass treatments."

Harry frowned, "Are they allowed to treat their prisoners like that? The Muggle world doesn't do that and if people do do it, they are usually sacked or sued."

"In other countries it's illegal, but as I told you, Britain has the most archaic magical society in the mortal realm."

"This is ridiculous," he hissed.

"Indeed," Unstoglck nodded.

* * *

Sirius Black stared at the four walls around him. It was dark and cold. Twelve years. He'd been rotting in this hellhole for twelve years.

Twelve long years.

What happened to Harry?

What about him?

Did he look like James?

Did he look like Lily?

Did the blood adoption take and make him look like Sirius?

Sirius remembered Harry's little brown tuft of hair. He'd been born with a mohawk. And his little brown hair bled straight to black the moment Sirius performed the ritual, right there in the hospital.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sirius sighed. Bella was on another laughing kick it seemed.

The sound of footsteps drew him from his memories and he shifted back to his human form immediately. Wouldn't do to get caught.

He moved further into the cell, watching and waiting.

A dark figure on the other side of the door, but through the bars, he could see the form was much smaller than a Dementor. And it didn't bring that God awful chill with it either.

A jingle of keys and a creak of the iron door, revealed someone he hadn't seen in years.

"Amelia?" he could help but croak, voice gruff from years of no use.

"What's with the hat?"

Admittedly, he probably should have asked something important, but the enormous hat on her head completely drew his attention first.

It was square-ish and it made her head look bigger than it should.

"Sirius Orion Black," Amelia said, pulling out a rolled up parchment. "It has come to the attention of the British Ministry of Magic that you along with fifty-six other individuals, were imprisoned without a trial during the War of Voldemort. You and the others are to be transferred to the Ministry's Holding Cells until the time of your trial."

She put the scroll away and sniffed a few times. "I shouldn't tell you this Sirius, but Peter Pettigrew was found and brought in under charges of pedophilia and child endangerment and the fool didn't even need a truth serum, he couldn't shut up. He admitted to killing the twelve Muggles and blowing up the street. He admitted to joining the Dark Lord Voldemort, but claimed we shouldn't blame him because Voldemort was persuasive. He is also faced with charges of being an unregistered Animagus. Due to this discovery about him, you may have a chance at freedom, if you are truly innocent. I have been informed that your Account Manager will be meeting you at the Ministry to discuss some things."

Sirius could feel the warmth in his chest grow suddenly. He just might get out.

"I'll tell you this now, I looked into a few things and I will be giving my findings to your Account Manager. In my eyes, it looks as if you are innocent and by Magic I hope you are."

She waved her wand a few times and Sirius' hands were locked behind his back and he was forced to his feet. He was led from the cell and down the long hallway. Several Aurors stood at the end of the corridor, each holding onto a prisoner of their own.

After an hour of traveling on boat to get to shore, they were Apparated directly to the Ministry. Sirius was given Cell 57 and told to remain quiet until his Manager came.

A few hours later, a Goblin he didn't recognize, along with a medi-witch, entered the cell. The witch placed a tray of food on the floor and used her wand to push it toward him. She then departed with a quick bow.

"Lord Black, I am your Account Manager, Unstoglck. Please, eat before we discuss."

Sirius was staring at the food intently, but his mind snapped at the 'Lord'.

"What do you mean Lord? I wasn't the Heir. You mean Grandfather has passed?"

"The former Lord, Arcturus Black III has indeed passed on. He never disowned you either, despite your mother's complaints. You have always been the Heir and when he passed, you became Lord. Now, eat while I speak."

Sirius grabbed the apple on the tray and while he wanted to tear into it like an animal that hadn't eaten in years, he kept himself mildly calm and simply took a bite. The slower he ate, the faster he'd become full, at least, that was what Lily had told him.

Unstoglck eyed him for a moment. "I must admit Lord Black, you are considerably more well composed than I presumed you would be," he commented.

Sirius flashed a messy smirk. "I may be a Gryffindor, but I was raised a Black. I'm not so stupid as to reveal my skills so openly. Suffice it to say, I'm amazing, and leave it at that."

The Goblin snorted. "You haven't changed at all, Lord Black."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember you."

"You last spoke to me on the day you blood adopted Harry. You set up his Black Trust Fund and filled out some paperwork. Along with your time in Azkaban, I'm not surprised that you don't remember me."

Sirius, who had gone for the large carrot stick after finishing the apple, looked up in alarm. "Harry?"

"Ah, yes. Harry has asked me to call him by name. You godson is rather peculiar. He actually remembers Goblins and their names."

"How is he?" Sirius asked, leaning forward from his cot.

"I think we should discuss him after we have spoken about your trial. Though you should know that his other guardian and he were the ones to bring your lack of trial to light and requested a trial for you. I was just in a meeting with them."

"'Guardian'?" Sirius repeated in confusion. "Who is it?"

Unstoglck's thin lips pursed for a few seconds, before he sighed. "Harry James Potter was forced onto his mother's Muggle sister. A little over a year ago, Harry qualified for a fairy godparent. His fairy godmother takes her duty toward him very seriously."

Sirius' stomach dropped at the revelation. Harry, his little Fawn, qualified for a fairy godparent? That shouldn't be possible.

"Why was Harry with Petunia at all? She wasn't even in the Will. Lily didn't want Harry to ever meet her!"

"Well that, Lord Black, is something to discuss. Chief Warlock Dumbledore illegally sealed the Will of James and Lily Potter about an hour after they were murdered. But the records say that you weren't taken to Azkaban until five days later. Can you explain how you learned of the Potter family's misfortune?"

Sirius' mind scrambled for a bit, but he managed to get everything together. "Peter was the Secret Keeper and I was charged with guarding him. I went to see him, but he was gone. And I then went to Godric's Hollow, to find the cottage in shambles. James was dead on the first floor and Lily was… dead in front of the crib in the nursery. Little Harry was bleeding from the head, but he was alive and relatively well.

I was taking him to St. Mungo's when Rubeus Hagrid appeared and told me that Dumbledore wanted Harry. At the time I hadn't questioned it. So I gave Harry to Hagrid and I told him to use my motorbike. I then left to get Peter, betraying piece of rubbish that he was."

"You mean to say that Chief Warlock Dumbledore took your godson and placed him with Muggles who didn't want him, even though you were alive and well? Especially when he could have simply held Harry at Hogwarts until the right moment?"

"When was Harry left with Petunia?"

"A little past midnight on November first of 1981, and he was left on the doorstep all night."

Sirius could feel the anger building. "Why did Dumbledore seal the Will?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"My personal belief is that he knew that Petunia Dursley wasn't supposed to have Harry and if he sealed the Will and locked it away, then no one would know of his actions. He is aware that if anything in the Will goes against whatever he has done to Harry, he will be in much legal trouble."

"You know, before I ran away, my father warned me about Dumbledore. He rarely ever spoke up when I was a child, but he did tell me that Dumbledore had his own agenda and he'd do whatever it took to see it through. Including allowing innocent people to suffer so long as his plan for the 'greater good' came about. The end results he envisions may be good and all, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and it seems as if Dumbledore's road has been broken one too many times."

Unstoglck gave a small nod.

"With Peter Pettigrew in prison, your side of the story has been more openly investigated. Now, you cannot request Veritaserum because Chief Warlock Dumbledore is refusing it to all who ask. But, we have facts on our side. Harry's fairy godmother has already requested for the Potter Will to be unsealed. If you make the same request and Harry verifies his desires to see it, we can unlock it and see what is inside. Also, Head Auror Bones found the records of spells from your wand the night you were taken to Azkaban. None of the spells used could have blown up a street or even killed someone. She submitted it to me before I came in here. And then there is the fact that you are still listed as Harry's godfather despite everything. And finally, we have many laws to use against the Ministry for imprisoning an Heir and Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House. So Lord Black, shall we begin?"

* * *

Varix had taken Harry shopping after the first week of the summer holidays. Harry, who had been studying up on the offered courses for third years and up, decided that he wanted to do Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.

Harry liked creatures and he found himself interested in Runes, especially after studying the Runes on the walls in the nursery at Merry Berry Cottage. He learned that his mother was a Runes Mistress and she frequently helped Gringotts as a Curse Breaker.

Harry had loaded up on books about Runes because he was determined to do well in the class.

He had been carrying his books to the counter, when he bumped into someone, dropping a few of the books on top.

"I'm sorry!"

"That's quite alright."

The voice that was smooth like Honeyduke's Finest Chocolate, belonged to a rather tall young man who was smiling down at Harry. His eyes were a light shade of green, but there were speckles of silver in there. His hair was black and slightly curly, pushed to the side. He was pale like Harry was, and his smile sent shivers down the boy's spine.

The attractive man waved a hand, making the fallen books return to Harry's stack.

"Do you need assistance?" the man asked.

"Uh… sure."

The man took a few of the books, allowing Harry to see everything in front of him.

"You like Runes?" the man asked.

"I'm… going to study them."

"I've recently taken an interest in them myself. I didn't know I was a wizard until recently and have been doing my best to catch up on the happenings of this magical world."

"How did you not know you were a wizard until recently? You're like, twenty."

"Sixteen actually. But I never received a Hogwarts Letter and my mother was a Squib that was disowned from her family and didn't want me to know of magic, but she died recently and I was suddenly assaulted by a talking piece of mail."

Harry winced, "I-I'm sorry I-"

"It's alright. We didn't get on. I never knew who my father was until the Will reading. I was even named for him. Though I have inherited a sizable amount from being his only Heir and apparently he too is dead."

Harry was a little uncomfortable. Though it was nice that this teen didn't know who he was and didn't fawn over him, it was still awkward to talk about death so casually.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"I'm Thomas Cadmus Riddle. Currently trying to remove the Riddle and make it Slytherin."

Harry's jaw dropped. "You're the Heir of Slytherin?"

"Technically since it's a Founding Family of Hogwarts, there are clauses in the Hogwarts Charter that allow me to be emancipated, so I'm actually Lord Slytherin."

Harry's mind was working. Thomas Riddle, the same name as the Tom Riddle that got Hagrid expelled. And if this young man was part of Slytherin's Line, then Tom Riddle had been Slytherin's Heir! So then, was there actually a Chamber of Secrets?"

"I'm Harry Potter."

Tom looked him over. "The one who defeated the Voldemort fellow?"

"Uh… I guess. It's been revealed that my mother used Olde Magick and Runes to save me, so basically she did the defeating."

"I think it's admirable that you make certain the honor is passed to the one responsible, Mr. Potter."

"You can… call me Harry," said the boy, a dark blush coloring his cheeks.

"Then you may call me Tom."

The sixteen year old wizard sent him a rakish smile and Harry sniffed a bit. He was too attractive for Harry's own good. Harry thought he at least had a few years before developing crushes, but apparently not. He didn't even know the guy!

They placed the books on the counter and Harry paid for them quickly. He then placed his newly acquired items in his charmed satchel and turned to Tom.

"Thank you, Tom."

"Anything to help, Harry."

He winked at the flushed Gryffindor and sauntered back through the shelves, leaving Harry alone.

Harry left the shop, making his way over to Fortescue's where he was to meet Varix. She was sitting on a chair outside the shop, eating a chocolate mint chip cone and resting on the table in front of her, was a large vanilla with chocolate sprinkles, in a cup. Harry's favorite!

He eagerly sat down and thanked her.

"So, who's the kid you were flirting with?"

Harry choked on his scoop of ice cream. "I was  _not_  flirting!"

"Well, from here it certainly looked like you were."

"Tom was just helping me!"

"Oh! On a first name basis already?" she asked with a grin.

"Th-that's not even, w-we weren't, NO!"

Varix began laughing. "First crushes are always the sweetest."

Harry simply shoved another scoop of ice cream in his mouth. He'd ignore her. He didn't need to take this.

Varix's giggles didn't subside, even when they were home. Harry went to bed early that night.

* * *

Unstoglck really came through in the end. He walked into Courtroom #2 in the lower levels of the Ministry and presented every piece of information he had, as well as reciting the seven different laws about imprisoning Heir and Lords of Most Ancient and Noble Houses, without trials.

Sirius Black gave his account of what happened that night and since Peter Pettigrew had already admitted to killing the Muggles and joining Voldemort, no one could argue with Sirius' words. And when Sirius didn't have a Dark Mark, that gave him further lead in his trial for innocence. His wand history just layered on his innocence.

When asked by one of the Wizengamot members why he didn't take Harry to a safe haven, he explained Dumbledore's involvement and everyone turned to the Chief Warlock.

Unstoglck decided to add that Dumbledore illegally sealed the Potter Will only an hour after they had been murdered, why Sirius had still been a free man. Madam Bones promised that Dumbledore be paying for that.

It was then, that Unstoglck revealed that Harry's Potter as well as his two legal guardians, Sirius Orion Black and Værix̂ Tɛmpaʊð, petitioned for the unsealing of the Potter Will and produced the very same Will.

With a bit of magic, the parchment lifted into the air and unfolded itself.

" _Is this thing on?_ " came the voice of James Potter.

There was the sound of something hitting fabric and a loud 'umf!'.

" _James, can you please take this seriously?!_ " came Lily Potter's voice.

" _But Sirius isn't my name!_ "

" _James Potter, so help me-_ "

" _Okay! Okay!_ "

A clearing of the throat.

" _This is the last Will and Testament of James Charlus Potter-_ "

" _-and Lily Potter nee` Evans-_ "

" _-being of sound mind-_ "

" _-and body-_ "

" _-under no compulsions-_ "

" _-or potions-_ "

" _-or spells of any sort-_ "

" _ **-do hereby list our everlasting wishes. So mote it be!**_ " chorused the two voices.

" _So, to Sirius Orion Black, we leave our little Harry in your capable hands. Do not tell him about that time in Monoco! Never, tell him about that time in Monoco!_ "

" _James!_ "

" _What? I don't want Harry to know about it! It's embarrassing enough as it is!_ "

" _Fine. To Severus Tobias Snape-_ "

" _-Why Snivellus?-_ "

" _-shut up James! As I was saying. To Severus, I leave all of my Potions Journals. And Sirius, I know that you will be giving them over because Remus would never allow you to be so rude. I don't care about your dislike of him, he is my best friend and admittedly we both made some foolish mistakes and I'm just sad that I never had the chance to accept his apology and give him one of my own._ "

There was a small scoff followed by another 'umf!'.

" _To Remus John Lupin, hey Moony, we paid off a small cottage in Sussex that belongs to the Potter House, but your name is also on the lease and there is a House Elf waiting for you. Take care, old friend._ "

" _To Peter Pascal Pettigrew, may you burn in the lowest pits of hell for betraying us! I knew it was you and I took appropriate measures to make sure that my baby wouldn't suffer._ "

" _Let it go on record, that Peter Pettigrew was our Secret Keeper._ "

A myriad of gasps filled the room.

" _Finally, Albus Dumbledore you will keep you 'greater good' loving hands away from my son! You are not now, nor will you ever be, his Magical Guardian. You have no right to him whatsoever! If you have gone against our wishes, may Magic strip you of your titles and may you suffer magical cancer! So mote it be!_ " Lily shrieked.

" _And to make it abundantly clear, custody of Harry James Potter goes to Sirius Orion Black first and foremost, as he is Harry's godfather, blood adopted the day he was born._ "

" _Then to Alice Longbottom, his godmother._ "

" _Then to Amelia Bones._ "

" _Then to Severus Snape._ "

" _Then to Filius Flitwick._ "

" _Under no circumstances in Harry to go to Petunia Dursley nee` Evans. She is frigid, hateful, and a downright abusive bitch!_ "

" _Lily!_ "

" _She is! She hates magic. Hates how she doesn't have it. The moment I learned I was a witch, she made it her duty to tear me down. I don't want my son near her or that lard she calls a husband, or her spoiled brat of a son!_ "

" _Okay, calm. Anyway, for our little Harry, we leave you everything else. I hope you like cloak and the map! Break lots of school rules! OW!_ "

" _Don't tell him that!_ "

" _Oh, come on!_ "

" _Harry dear, we love so much. Never be sad, because or sacrifice was for you. You are my little sunshine and you make me happy when my skies are grey._ "

" _Give Padfoot and Moony grey hairs early, okay, Fawn!_ "

" ** _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death._** "

The parchment folded on itself and Unstoglck looked around the courtroom at the gaping witches and wizards.

"Now let's discuss remuneration for Lord Black's suffering."

At the various groans, he smirked. Sometimes he really loved his job.

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Yay, Sirius if free!
> 
> -Varix knows that Harry was talking to Tom.
> 
> -Harry's turning thirteen soon! My baby is growing up!
> 
> -James an Lily don't know how to write a Will.
> 
> -Yes, that was a Jonny Cash reference.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humor.  
> Competition.  
> Sexy men.  
> Heh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a crackish chapter for the summer before 3rd year.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

The backlash of Sirius Black's trial was known all over Magical Britain. The Daily Prophet was the first to report on it, taking something as simple as a trial and blowing it up with add ins of Dumbledore's actions and the Potter Will. Everyone in Magical Britain now knew that Harry Potter had lived with magic hating Muggles because Dumbledore illegally sealed his parents' Will and took him from his godfather. Everyone also had a word for word play of the Will, as there were reporters in the courtroom for the trial.

Albus Dumbledore, whom many had looked up to since his defeat of the Dark Lord Grindelwald, had been shoved into the chair and put on trial right after Lord Black. With Amelia Bones presiding over the trial as the new Chief Witch as Magic had done as Lily Potter had cursed and stripped Dumbledore of all of his titles and they needed a new Chief.

Dumbledore, who was revealed to be in severe pain, tried to maneuver his way around the questions, but with several facts already in his face, he couldn't keep up with the harsh questioning while trying to ignore the pain he was in.

He admitted to sealing the Will, which was punishable by up to five years in Azkaban. He admitted to taking Harry Potter from Sirius Black and leaving him on a doorstep in the middle of the night. Another five years in Azkaban for child endangerment and kidnapping. His actions went directly against the Will he sealed up, giving him ten more years in Azkaban. And then Minerva McGonagall of all people bought forth the information about him deliberately hiring Lockhart and Quirrell, suspecting them to be Dark Wizards with ulterior motives and compromising the school and children all so he could flush them out.

Consistent meddling with the education of the school students, child endangerment, withholding evidence from the Ministry, allowing dangerous creatures to get inside the school - troll and cerberus - and overall being inattentive to his duties as the Headmaster of the only magical school in Britain.

Dumbledore's Trial was just as famous as Lord Black's if not worse.

While Lord Black walked away with over a million Galleons in restitution, as well as free medical care at St. Mungo's courtesy of the Ministry, and three favors that could be called in from the Ministry at any time, Dumbledore was led away in chains with a weak magical core, no more titles to call upon, and a sentence of forty years in Azkaban.

Sirius was immediately taken to the hospital where Healers of all sorts rushed to help him.

Gerandal, the name of the Healer who would be working on his mind, asked him a series of questions that to him, made no sense, but the conclusion was surprising.

"What is your favorite kind of ice cream?"

Sirius frowned at that, but had to think it over. It had been a long time since he'd had ice cream.

"I like Muggle ice cream and just their Chocolate, nothing added."

"How do you feel about your mother?"

Well that was a jump.

"I hate her."

"Why?"

Sirius flashed a dark smirk. "Walburga was a little too free with the Cruciatus Curse. Instead of bowing to her every whim like my little brother and father, I formed opinions of my own. I refused to be indoctrinated into the now obscured Slytherin viewpoint or to follow the upstart known as Voldemort!" he spat, slightly enjoying the flinching he received.

The man nodded, his quill marking everything Sirius had said, on the parchment.

"What was your favorite subject in school?"

Hm…

"Transfiguration," Sirius said with a smile. Learning to become an Animagus with his friends, minus Pettigrew.

"Why?"

"Secret between the Marauders, sorry."

"Okay then. What do you fear most?"

That bought his up short. What did he fear? To be honest he couldn't think of anything remotely terrifying. Dementors induced horrible feelings, but they didn't scare him so much as they made him tired. Sirius didn't often get visits from Dementors because he didn't try to make himself happy while in Azkaban. Dementors come when they sense happiness so they can feed off of it. Sirius thought of his ultimate betrayal. Of Lily and James and Harry. Those weren't happy thoughts. So he didn't feel the effects of the Dementors as much as others did.

He wasn't scared of Voldemort himself. He was worried of what the man could accomplish. He was amazingly powerful, that he could respect. But the man himself didn't garner any fear from Sirius.

What did Sirius Orion Black fear the most?

It hit him then. Harry.

"My godson qualified for a fairy godparent," said Sirius with an expression of pure loathing. "What if those muggles Dumbledore left him with, hurt him?"

His nails dug into the meat of his hand. His teeth ground together.

"Calm, " the Healer murmured, raising a hand.

Sirius practiced some breathing exercises he had learned from Lily back in his Auror days. They helped him clear his mind so he wouldn't be 'impulsive'.

"Well done," commented the Healer as he looked over his parchment.

"Who did you look up to when you were a teenager?"

Sirius sniffed a bit.

"Great-Aunt Dorea and Uncle Alphard."

"Why?"

"Dorea and Charlus Potter took me in when I ran away. She treated me like I had always wished my mother would treat me. I slipped up and called her mum once and she let me continue to do so. Alphard took a lot of money from the Main Black Vault and gave it to me so I could support myself. He didn't gain permission before doing that and Arcturus disowned him as punishment when Walburga wouldn't shut up about it, though not without setting up a small vault on the side for him.

Dorea and Alphard are some of the Blacks who proved strong in the face of adversity and wouldn't allow themselves to be swept in among the demands of the rest of the family. They stood up for themselves. I guess since Arcturus never disowned me or Dorea, he was okay with my leaving and living with her."

He could remember Orion and Walburga singing Voldemort praises and his grandfather being skeptical of it all. No record of him anywhere. Nothing to know. But he was a Parselmouth and that meant that he was part of the Slytherin Line. Supposedly.

Even when the war was at its peak, Arcturus had been wary of Voldemort. He allowed his family members to serve the fool, but he had never made any pledge toward the Dark Lord.

Hm…

"What would make you happy in this moment?" came the Healer's voice, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Uhh… verifying that my godson is healthy and happy. Doing my duty to him like James and Lily wanted me to. Reconciling with an old friend whom I had thought the worst of at the wrong moment."

Gerandal looked him over for a moment, before nodding.

"Lord Black-"

"Just Sirius, I'm not used to the whole title thing yet."

"Okay… Sirius, you have parental issues. Since both of your parents were rather lackluster in their raising of you, and you didn't receive the proper rearing until you were nearly an adult, you don't have a proper understanding of what is required to raise a child. This could possibly hinder your relationship with your godson, who is turning thirteen soon."

Sirius paled. "What?"

"You rebelled from your family's way of thinking and sought out things that would anger them, hence your need to state that you preferred Muggle ice cream even though there isn't a difference in how it's made. So while you were taught a specific line of teaching, you don't believe in it, leaving you confused on where you stand."

Sirius had no idea where this was going.

"You are remarkably well composed for twelve years in Azkaban, can you explain how this is possible? No one has ever been like this, even after only a year."

"I'm awesome."

"Sirius, please give me something to work with."

The Animagus sighed. "Do you have to write it down?"

"No."

"Do you have to tell anybody about these sessions?"

"No. I am sworn to secrecy especially since you are a Lord to a Most Ancient and Noble House."

"I want a Wizard's Oath that you won't tell anyone in any way. No talking, writing, thinking, hinting, signing, or any other possible way."

Gerandal sighed, but lifted his wand and made the vow.

"Okay!"

Sirius jumped up from his seat, ignoring the other wizard's flinch.

He then walked a few paces, before turning around so the Healer could see.

He began to shrink in height but his body stretched in length.

Gerandal gasped and Sirius let out a loud bark.

"You're a Grim Animagus."

Sirius shifted back. "I'm not an idiot. Dementors can't feel animals. And whenever they came around where Aurors were near, I would shift back and think of depressing things so they would ignore me. I learned quickly not to think happy thoughts."

"That's amazing," Healer Gerandal remarked. "It also explains your sanity. Overall, your mental issues aren't caused by Azkaban. They're childhood traumas that you will need to learn to deal with. I suggest writing a journal about what happened in your childhood and concentrating on whether or not your would treat your godson that way. And then I want you to write all the ways where your various punishments could have been handled properly, without using the Cruciatus Curse. I want you to focus on how to right those wrongs."

Sirius nodded.

"Now, on your interest in Muggle things…"

* * *

Varix had been sipping tea when Harry came running into the dining hall.

"Varix! Dorea just told me that I can do magic here and the Ministry would never know!"

She actually dropped her cup, watching it break when it hit the table. With a snap of the fingers, it repaired itself and the tea dried up into nothingness.

"Harry, take a seat and try to understand what I'm about to tell you."

Harry's former joy died down when he saw how serious she was. He sat down and waited.

"Alright, so the whole you can't use magic during your summer vacation isn't because they're trying to protect the magical world from being discovered by the Muggles. Tell me, did your friends grow a lot over the summer last year?"

Harry frowned and thought back on it.

"Yeah, Hermione and Ron were already taller than me, but both seemed to grow like five inches or even more!"

"They didn't grow that much. It just seems that way because you're short and hadn't seen them in a while."

Harry bristled. He wasn't short!

"Kid, you're short. I'm going to tell you why.

The Muggles not feeding you forced your magical core to try to heal you. You see, for you magical humans, the body doesn't grow while you're at Hogwarts. Ten months, your magical core is focused on expanding and memorizing your spellwork. The two months at home during summertime, allow your core to focus on your body and not your wand."

"Huh?"

"Your magic was active a lot during your childhood in order to keep you relatively healthy and to keep you from dying of malnourishment. You didn't grow much because of that. When you aren't actively using your magic in spells and potions, your magic fills your body and speeds up the process of your growth. That's why everyone seems so much larger when coming back to school, because they were forced through a small, but sudden growth spurt."

"So then, we grow because our magic makes us?"

"Essentially, yeah. If you don't want to stunt your growth or make your inheritance painful when you come of age, you allow your magic to help your body and you don't use it during the summer. When you reach majority at seventeen, you're core will strengthen to where it is supposed to be. It may double or even triple. If your body isn't fully matured by then, your inheritance from reaching your majority will be painful."

"So then, why does the Ministry tell us it's against the law?"

"To scare you into behaving. Although I think the truth is infinitely more terrifying, but that's just me."

"So I shouldn't use magic?"

"No."

Harry sighed, "Fine."

Varix crumpled on the table. "Thank you! I was worried you'd think badly of me!"

"Why?"

"'Cause you just found out that the Ministry wouldn't catch you if you did magic here and then were told not to use said magic. Duh!"

"Give me some credit. I spent most of my life without magic. I'm not going to suddenly suffer without it. I can work just fine. And besides, no one is here to bully me and make me want to defend myself with magic."

That reminded him.

"What about the Dursleys?"

"What about 'em?"

"Wasn't Vernon waiting at King's Cross?"

"Yes," she answered simply.

"So... you didn't tell him that I wouldn't be coming back?"

"No _p_ e," she popped the P.

"Why?"

"Because the letter Dumbledore left with you, had a threat to keep you with them or else and without you there, they are left in a state of panic, thinking someone from the magical world is going to come after them for not having you. Payback for how they treated you."

"You're kind of bloodthirsty."

"Yep!"

* * *

A week before Harry's birthday, Varix took him to Diagon Alley again, so they could explore a bit. He also had to get Hedwig some treats. She'd been making all sorts of trips during the summer and she deserved some pampering.

So she joined them in the shop and Harry allowed her to choose which treats she preferred.

Hedwig chose her treats well and ended up making friends with a rather hideous looking cat. Kneazle, according to the witch as the desk.

His name was Crookshanks and while he looked like he'd run headlong into a wall and had long, orange fur, he seemed to really like Hedwig and cuddled right up to her. Hedwig in turn, allowed the feline creature to rub all over her feathers.

Harry didn't really want a cat or something that was the equivalent of Mrs. Norris, but he could think of something better. To keep both happy and ensure a long friendship, he purchased the Kneazle and all supplies required and intended to give Crookshanks to Hermione in return for never getting her a birthday present.

That also gave him an idea. He never got to celebrate Ron's birthday either. Ron always wanted an owl of his own, because his family's owl, Errol, was getting on in years and couldn't see well enough to make it to a window, usually slamming into the house instead. Ron also lost his only pet. He needed a new one.

Harry bought Ron an Eagle Owl. It was spotted with colors of brown, black, white, tawney, and silver. A large female, with bright, citrine eyes.

Acquiring the bird was interesting. She wouldn't let him go near her and Hedwig, taking pity on him, ended up being the mediator.

Literally, she flew between them and proceeded to bark and make wing gestures to Harry. Two pairs of yellows eyes turned to him. Hedwig's Aureolin were imploring and the Eagle Owl's Citrine looked accusing.

"Do you… want me to ask for permission?" he asked, seeing that as the only reason that the owl wouldn't want to be touched.

Hedwig turned to the owl and barked.

Harry was certain the owl nodded, so he asked. "May I touch you, my lady?"

The owl's eyes narrowed and Hedwig barked at him sharply. She slapped the sign under the owl's perch, covering the word 'female'. That was it. Hedwig was too intelligent to be a normal owl.

"You  _are_  a girl though."

If it was possible, he was sure he'd be on fire. That owl glared like it was about to peck his head off.

"You don't  _feel_  like a girl owl?" he asked, taking a step back just as a precaution.

A great shake of the head.

"So… you're a boy owl in the body of a girl owl?"

He received a sharp nod and a hoot.

"My… lord?"

He knew everything was okay the moment when the spread wings and glaring immediately settled down. Hedwig flew back to Crookshanks and Harry was left to stare at the owl that was watching him closely.

"May I touch you… sir?"

Nod.

Okay.

He approached with caution, because there was no way he was going to get attacked because of a strange owl.

On the other side of the shop, Varix was too busy laughing at him to do anything like helping him.

"You just nearly got your eyes pecked out by a transgender owl!" she chortled. "I have never seen something like this before!"

"Yeah, don't help me or anything!"

"Nah, Hedwig had your back! You didn't need me!"

So after finally purchasing the demented owl from hell, Varix was kind enough to take him to Hermione's with a wish.

He knocked on the door and smiled when he saw Mrs. Granger open the door.

"Hello, Harry!"

"Hi, Mrs. Granger, is Hermione here?"

"She sure is dear, come on in!"

Harry carried Crookshanks inside and waited by the door as Hermione was called down.

When the brunette turned the corner of the stairs and saw Harry, she squealed and ran toward him, throwing her arms around him while being mindful of the feline.

"What are you doing here?"

"I figured I'd give you a birthday gift early, because I never got to get you anything. And Hedwig made friends with him and I couldn't bring myself to separate them."

Hermione took the feline in her arms and cooed over him.

Harry removed the bag of toys and the booklet on how to care for Kneazles from his pocket, magically expanded of course.

"Some toys, a brush, and how to care for him instructions. Kneazles apparently know how to spot evil and untrustworthy people. He can go outside on his own and will come back if you call him. His name is Crookshanks and he's been in the shop for a while because he usually doesn't get on with people, but apparently he likes us."

"Thank you, Harry! He's gorgeous!"

Crookshanks preened under the praise, his purring becoming louder.

"I got Ron a gift too."

Varix, who was his 'watch', snorted unattractively. Harry scowled.

"Apparently, the owl I chose is transgendered?"

"Yep!"

"That's possible?" Hermione asked, getting a look of severe concentration.

"Apparently."

"I wonder if this is just magical animals or maybe it happens with normal ones too. And maybe they-"

"Maybe you'll find a book on it," Harry suggested, cutting her off.

"That too. You do know that Ron is in Egypt, right? His father won the Daily Prophet Draw and they all decided to visit Bill."

"I know. I asked Varix and she said we can visit him for a week. Can't stay too long because she's making me read all of my school books ahead of time."

"It'll help your retention!"

"I know. I'd just like to do some other fun stuff besides Diagon Alley and flying around the Manor."

Harry stayed with Hermione for an hour and wished her good luck on her trip to France. He'd caught her a day before they were to leave, luckily enough.

Once back at the Manor, Harry packed a quick bag and grabbed Ron's new owl.

Varix's dress was more tan colored now, with her hair up in a bun.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, grab my hand, because we're traveling quite the distance."

This method of travel, he found out, was worse than Flooing or Portkeying.

He found himself in a very Gringotts like building, however.

"This is the Egyptian Branch of Gringotts," Varix told him.

That explained it.

"Entering their country must be done here, the same as any other country. The Ma'at, the Egyptian Aurors, have a small office here, where they give foreign magicals passes to spend time in the magical side of Egypt. It costs a different amount depending on how long you plan to stay."

She guided him to a large office of workers all wearing brown robes and strange red hats with tassels on their heads.

Varix spoke in Egyptian to the nearest wizard and gestured to Harry. She handed over a small bundle of Galleons and received two pieces of plastic in return.

"Wear this openly, you stand out as a foreigner. This will make sure that other Ma'at don't try to pull you aside," she explained, handing him a necklace with the card on it. He slipped it on quickly.

"Good, now I haven't been to Egypt in a while so they may have updated some things. Last time I was here, they had only four inns in the bazaar. They may have better ones now."

She guided him from the bank and out into a very sunny, sandy, and hot market place. Stalls lined the way, all of them filled with clothing of all sorts.

A large building up ahead, had him interested.

"They keep the animals and food in there. It's too hot outside and the sun would constantly challenge cooling charms. The shade of the building lets the magic of the charms last longer.

Now, there are from what I can tell, nine hotels/inns. Pick one."

"The best one," he said immediately.

"Looking for high class?"

"No. More like I want trustworthy service, and a place with nice bedding and clean bathrooms, and maybe room service."

"I get the bedding and the bathroom struggles, and maybe the trustworthy staffing, but why room service?"

"I don't want to go into the heat for food?"

"Cooling charm."

"I'm lazy," he finally admitted.

"That's my boy!" she grinned. "That's the way to go! Come on!"

 _Sefkhat Alexandria_  was the name of the hotel. A Magical hotel that put the British Ministry of Magic to shame, or so Varix claimed.

But really, it was all marble, like Gringotts, with golden handles for their doors. The lift went in every direction and it too was made of gold. There were ten floors and the inside of the building was magically expanded do to runes. That pretty much made Harry want to study more on runes. Maybe he'd learn some more while here.

"Why doesn't Diagon Alley have a hotel?" he asked as they settled into their large suite with adjoining rooms.

"Britain is behind the times. Like, five centuries behind. Think of it like this, Australia has already learned how to mix magic and technology without problems."

"Really!?"

"Yep."

"Can we go to Australia next year?"

She snorted. "Sure."

* * *

They left the hotel in search of the Weasley family. Since most of the people around them were dark skinned and had brown hair, searching for the cluster of red shouldn't be too difficult.

The owl of doom, clutched his fingers like a vice. He was heavy too.

Varix, being the taller of them, spotted the nearest Weasley first. Mrs. Weasley, who was looking at an assortment of cloths.

He bounced up beside her and said, "Hi, Mrs. Weasley!"

She jumped a bit, but upon noticing him, she smiled widely and wrapped him in a big, warm hug. "Harry, dear! I wasn't expecting to see you in Egypt!"

"Varix said we could come for a week. I had bought Hermione a belated birthday present when I realized I hadn't gotten Ron one and I wanted to be there when he saw it, so Varix brought me here!"

Mrs. Weasley smiled at the fairy. "Good to see you, dear."

"Hello, Molly."

"Just let me get some of this cloth, dear. And then we can go to the others. Ron will be so happy to see you!"

Mrs. Weasley bought a large roll of royal blue cloth and linked hands with Harry in order to pull him safely through the large crowd of people.

The reunion of Harry Potter and the Weasley family was like none of them had seen him in years. Fred and George shook his free hand enthusiastically and welcomed him to Egypt. Percy was extra pompous, more so than usual. He'd been made Head Boy and was already wearing the badge proudly. Ginny squeaked when she saw him and turned around. Ron however, looked relieved.

"Harry!"

Harry presented Ron with the demon owl. "This owl is male. No matter what anyone tells you, he is male. He may not seem it at first, but don't allow physical gender to rule your thought process. The owl insists it is male and a male name it shall have. Happy birthday."

Ron's blue eyes bulged at the sight of his new Eagle Owl and he accepted the large glove Harry handed him. The talons were very sharp and he'd been nicked once already.

"Thanks, Harry! I'll call him, Gideon. Mum had two brothers, Fabian and Gideon. They died fighting Death Eaters. Took on five at once and killed four before the Dolohov bloke got 'em."

Gideon the owl, shifted a bit, chest puffing out at the name he'd been given.

"Gideon means 'mighty warrior', or at least something close to it," Varix clarified.

How the owl even knew that, Harry didn't want to know.

"How long will you be here?" Ron asked as they began walking.

"About a week. What have you been doing for fun?"

That had Ron starting on a whole explanation on how his brother Bill had taken the family through one of the smaller tombs on the outside of the pyramids. How Fred and George locked Percy in a sarcophagus.

Harry met Bill Weasley, who was in his personal opinion, everything cool should be.

Shoulder length red hair, an earring in one ear - dragon fang he was told - with a lot of leather. He was thin and tall. And when he smiled, Harry could see that his teeth were straight and white.

And he winked at Harry!

Varix teased him well into the evening about his 'second crush' and how 'Tom had competition'.

Charlie Weasley was very muscular. Not tall like Bill. In fact, he was a little shorter then the twins, but his muscles were enormous! Though supposed they had to be if he was handling dragons all the time. Hid red hair was spiky and his face was covered in freckles that completely outdid Ron's freckles.

He was nice too.

* * *

On his birthday, Harry learned that Varix had booked them a month instead of a week. A birthday present. Hanging out with his best friend in another country.

He also woke to find his bed covered in gifts.

Ron got him a Sneakoscope. It was supposed to glow and make noise when someone or something untrustworthy was around. The twins gave him a box of Egyptian Chocolate. Percy gave him a book on Egyptian laws. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley sent him a box of mince pies and an amulet that was supposed to protect him from mental intrusion. Legilimency, or so Varix explained. Ginny gave him a new quill. Hermione sent him a Broomstick Servicing Kit, which he loved! Hagrid sent him a demented book that tried to eat his hand.

Varix knew about it though and all she did to calm it was to stroke its spine. It began to purr.

Finally, he received the best gift, from Sirius Black, whom he had yet to actually meet. But still, he considered it the best gift because he'd seen it in the shop windows and he had wanted it. But even he wasn't going to spend so much on a broom. It was three times the price of his Nimbus 2001!

But now he didn't have to lament over not having it. Because Sirius bought him it!

The Firebolt. The fastest broom in the world with an acceleration of 150 miles an hour in ten seconds. It also had the best of the best braking charms and had the best balance of all racing brooms.

And he was now the proud owner of his one!

When he brought it to Varix, practically bouncing from excitement, she simply cocked a brow at it.

"I still think Egypt is cooler than a piece of wood, but whatever."

"Are you  _jealous_?"

" _No_!"

Harry sighed.

"I like your gift too. It's just… I really wanted this and didn't think I'd get it, whereas I knew I'd at least get to be here for a bit."

He gave her the puppy eyes.

"Okay, okay! I get it. Go write your thank you letters, midget."

Harry beamed and rushed back to his room, clutching the broom like it was a lifeline.

Varix glared at the doorway. "So that's how you wanna play, huh Black? I can top that!"

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

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**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Varix is feeling competitive with Sirius. Both of them are Harry's godparents and now that he's free, he'll be in Harry's life more. Compared to the Dursleys, Varix is obviously awesome, but now she has an equally childish Sirius to compete with. Who is Harry's favorite guardian and all that.
> 
> -Yes, I made Gideon the owl, transgender. I couldn't help it! :)
> 
> -Hedwig is the great mediator between owl and man!
> 
> -Please stop complaining about the length of my chapters. Each chapter has been at least 5,000 words long and I'm updating every two to three days.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Tom flirting.  
> Varix kills a Dementor with Elven Magick.

**A/N: Hello, people!^COVER!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

The last week of the summer holidays was filled to the brim for Harry. He and Varix returned to Britain with the Weasleys. After that, they returned to Potter Manor to find a letter from the school, waiting for Harry.

It was his student list. The books he needed for classes.

Hagrid's demon book was on the list and Harry felt relieved at not having to get another, especially with the price. Though not too much, who spent ten Galleons on a book? Probably Hermione. But other than her?

Dorea informed him that  _Advanced Rune Translation_ ,  _Ancient Runes Made Easy_ ,  _Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms_ , _Rune Dictionary_ , and  _Spellman's Syllabary_ , were in the library and he just had to go and get them, making his list even shorter. Just the normal supplies for every school year.

This year, he completely stopped using all quills and inks when he learned the former year that they weren't required to have them, they were just a suggestion or a guideline for people to use. He could have been using a pen the entire time!

Varix pointed him to a shop that sold Muggle appliances. It was the only pure Muggle thing in the Alley. Harry loaded up on various fountain pens, making sure he had a lot just in case he lost one, someone stole one, or he just used it all up.

He also purchased a Liner, which was used to guide writing on parchment by making lines appear when needed to keep the writing neat and even. The lines disappeared when done. He could have used that in his first year had he known about it.

Stacks upon stacks of parchment and envelopes for future use. Some sweets because he wanted to be prepared. A thick book on Runes because he could never have too many. It also added on to the four he bought in Egypt, which Varix was translating for him.

He grew a little over the summer! That meant he could get new clothes!

His Hogwarts robes this time were made of much better fabric, with Runes woven near the stitching to provide extra protection against the elements. Harry loved Runes. They could be applied to everything!

As for everyday clothes, Varix denied his request for the grey shirts with the black outlined collars. Apparently they were 'dorky' and getting several of the same shirt would make him look like a 'hobo' had dressed him. He got one at least.

Leaving everything at home, Varix took him to St. Mungo's, where he was going to met Sirius Black for the first time.

The Healers and medi-witches practically fell over themselves when they learned that Harry Potter was in the building. Harry had never experienced service like that before.

All he wanted was to meet his godfather. He didn't need any potions or Healers, or Merlin forbid, a girlfriend.

Varix was efficient in handling the situation. She threatened to get Harry's solicitor after them and suddenly the waves of people parted like the Red Sea. Harry rushed through the crowd, not wanting people to bother him any longer.

In Diagon Alley, people didn't know him. He could blend into the crowd easily. But there, when the witch had heard his name and just had to say it really loudly, everyone swarmed him like some disease.

Finally reaching the floor and room where Sirius was being held, Harry let out a breath of relief.

"I swear, people have no lives of their own," Varix said with an eye roll.

"Come on, room ten."

The man inside, was in between the stages of ill and healthy. Like he was getting over a really bad sickness.

Sitting with him, was a Healer.

The Healer looked to the door and stood when Varix floated through the door. She waved him off and gestured to Harry, who was inching slowly into the room, eyeing the Healer warily.

"Is he well?" the man asked Varix.

"He was mobbed by your coworkers down on the first floor."

The man flushed, "I am so sorry! It's terribly unprofessional of them and I'll be having a word with the head of the hospital. Shall I leave you alone?"

"Sure, I got this."

The man scurried from the room, giving Harry a wide berth of space, before closing the door. The teen sighed in relief and sat in the chair beside the bed, meeting the stormy, grey eyes of the man who had been watching him in silence.

Varix conjured a chair for herself and sat in it. "So, what sort of treatments have they put you through?" she asked, getting the ball rolling.

"They removed the rest of my teeth and regrew them. And then because they grew them too large, they had to shrink them to a manageable size. And they made me sit in a replica of a Muggle sauna in order to 'open my pores' and then they began casting all these spells to clean me. That took a few hours.

They've been shoving these gross potions down my throat to counteract the starvation. My ribs are still visible though and they're trying to make me eat all of these different foods that I don't like. Hospital food is disgusting!"

Sirius looked away for a second, before his head snapped back. "Who are you anyway?"

"Probably should have asked that first. I'm Værix̂ Tɛmpaʊð and I'm Harry's fairy godmother."

Sirius' eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. He simply turned to Harry.

"I'm Sirius Black."

"You don't seem crazy."

Sirius barked a laugh, completely undoing Harry's words.

"Don't worry, I am. It's a family thing. The Black's are known for the Black Madness. All of us have a little of it."

"Thank you for my broom."

"I was told that you were made Gryffindor's Seeker in your first year! Not even James managed to get Minnie to let him on that early!"

"'Minnie'?"

"McGonagall."

"Oh. Did you break a lot of rules when in school? My parents' Will made it sound like rule breaking was a good thing."

"Oh, the rules we broke! Drove Minnie up the wall!"

* * *

Varix had to admit that Black had a lead over her. Knowing Harry's parents already made the young teen give the man all of his attention. He'd cling to the memories and stories of them and think that Black was amazing simply because he had some funny things to say.

What would Harry like?

Hmm...

* * *

The day before the end of the holidays, the British wizarding world was put on alert.

The Daily Prophet was delivered just like every morning, but instead of a normal headline, Harry was assaulted by blinking letters.

**CONVICTED DEATH EATER BELLATRIX LESTRANGE, ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN! THE MINISTER CALLING ALL DEMENTORS!**

_**My dear readers the news is true! Bellatrix Lestrange, also known as the You-Know-Who's most faithful servant, has managed what none other has!** _

_**Unknown to the rest of Britain, Bellatrix Lestrange is skilled in wandless magic! The remains of her cell were searched and the Aurors have confirmed that she had been pouring her magic into the stones of her prison, over the past twelve years. The fortress, being covered in all manner of protective wards and charms, isn't supposed to be able to break.** _

_**According to a reliable source, the magic seeped into the stones, causing those protections to wear away, allowing for the crazed, mass murderer to blow the wall out with enough focus on a blasting curse.** _

_**'No sight of Bellatrix Lestrange has been mentioned. All we know is that she cackled madly before disappearing in a plume of black smoke. We were unable to trace her destination,' said one Auror.** _

_**The Ministry has ordered for the search of all properties of former Death Eaters.** _

_**Dementors have been sent out and stationed around Hogwarts. It is the fear of many that her target may just be Harry James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived. The mad witch may attempt revenge for her fallen master.** _

_**People of magical Britain we must all work together to ensure that Bellatrix Lestrange is found.** _

_**For more information on Death Eaters… see page 2A.** _

_**For more information on Bellatrix Lestrange… see page 3A.** _

_**For more information on Harry James Potter… see page 4A.** _

_**Rita Skeeter, special correspondent to the Daily Prophet.** _

Varix winced in sympathy. "The Dementors are horrible. Only one spell repels them. And they can only be killed by Elvish Magick."

"Is this really something to worry about though?"

"Yes. Dementors don't ask questions. And if they take an interest in you, even if you are innocent, you will find yourself Kissed.

The Dementor's Kiss sucks your soul from your body, leaving you in a vegetative state. Not so different from being petrified, but it isn't good. Once your soul departs from your body, your consciousness goes with it. And your body remains until it is burned.

There is no known way to retrieve a soul after a Dementor has taken it and no one is foolish enough to attempt to find a method."

"So... you wouldn't even go near a Dementor?"

"Hell no!"

"And these things that even you wouldn't go near are going to be stationed around the school this year."

"Shit."

The two shared a look.

Varix managed to sum everythign up perfectly though.

"This year is going to suck."

* * *

Making their way into the train the next morning was a hassle. There were Aurors all over the platform, running scans over the students and the parents in order to verify that none of them were Bellatrix Lestrange in disguise.

Four Aurors would be on the train during the ride to Hogwarts. There were also two professors, one at the back of the train and the other at the front with the conductor. The students were disgruntled at having to go through the check, but they were only five minutes later in leaving the station so it could have been worse.

Harry had met up with Ron while on the platform and they waited around the entrance for Hermione. The witch was extremely tanned, rivalling Varix.

"We should get a compartment in the back," she said, handing her trunk over to one of the workers. Crookshanks was clutching her shoulder as she walked.

Harry released Hedwig and handed her cage over. Ron mimicked him, letting Gideon follow after the Snowy Owl.

After being checked by the Aurors, the three waved to Mrs. Weasley who told them to be safe.

Their compartment was already occupied by a brown haired man in a grey pullover. Since none of them felt like looking for another compartment, they situated themselves inside. Varix magically expanded the inside to give them more space.

"I love magic," Harry smiled.

"Who do you think that is?" Ron murmured.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione answered.

Harry and Ron looked at each other before giving her the same look.

"It's on the trunk above his head."

"Oh."

The man, was leaning against the seat, his head tucked into his chest. His eyes were closed and his hands were folded lazily on his lap.

Varix, who was relaxing as Harry's 'Muggle watch', sniffed a bit. "Someone's coming!"

The three cognizant people in the compartment turned to the door, which slid open to reveal a handsome face that was very familiar to Harry.

"Tom!"

Tom's gorgeous eyes landed on Harry immediately and he smiled. Harry was too busy taking in his appearance. He was exactly the same as the last time Harry had seen him, except this time he was in school robes. And while he didn't have any colors on his robes, he was wearing a Prefect's badge.

"Hello, Harry," Tom greeted with a smile.

"You're coming to Hogwarts?"

"Indeed. I passed my OWLs at the Ministry this summer. I decided to attend Hogwarts for my NEWT studies."

"You made Prefect even though you're new and haven't been sorted yet? Hogwarts accepts people who aren't first years?"

"It's in the Hogwarts Charter," explained Hermione. "Hogwarts accepts transfers, war orphans, and homeschooled students, at any given time."

Tom's attention moved from Harry to Hermione. "You must be Ms. Granger?"

"Yes."

"Headmistress McGonagall is on the train currently and she wishes to speak with you and I over scheduling conflicts."

Hermione popped up from her seat. "Thank you! Harry, Ron, I'll be back soon!"

Tom sent Harry a wave before sliding the compartment door closed.

Ron, who was staring at Harry the entire time, asked loudly, "Do you fancy him?"

"Yes he does!" Varix chimed with a laugh.

"No I don't!" Harry denied, trying to ignore the fact that he was flushing too much.

"He seems kind of uptight. Not Malfoy uptight, but definitely a prat."

"Tom is not a prat! He's very nice and he helped me in Flourish and Blotts!"

"Ugh! He's gonna be a Ravenclaw!"

Harry huffed and folded his arms.

The silence was broken by the witch who came around with her trolley of sweets. She slid open the door and smiled, "Anything off the trolley, dears? First stop!"

Ron rummaged through his pockets and Harry pulled out his change purse. Ron ended up getting a pack of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, a Licorice Wand, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Harry on the other hand had ten boxes of Chocolate Frogs, two packets of Jelly Slugs, Three packs of Ice Mice, a Blood Pop, and his own Licorice Wand.

With their new treasures in their arms, the two returned to their compartment, eating amicably.

Hermione came back a while later and the three talked about the upcoming year, especially with all of the Dementors around.

"The Ministry is supposed to have control over them though," said Hermione.

"They're also supposed to have control over Azkaban and we all know how that went down," Ron countered, making Hermione's nose wrinkle.

"But Lestrange is different. She was trained personally by… Voldemort. And she'd been working over the years on breaking out."

"That's no excuse. Sirius told me he personally was planning to break out and while he didn't telling me enough about it, I have a feeling that he was close. Maybe if the Ministry used their brains instead of their money purses, they'd actually get things done."

"That too!" Ron nodded.

* * *

"I can't wait to go to Hogsmeade!" Ron said suddenly around a bite of his Licorice Wand.

"Could you please endeavor not to eat like a pig?" Hermione sneered, wiping a piece of chewed licorice off her cheek where Ron's spittle had carried it.

"Sorry, I'm hungry."

"Although I agree about Hogsmeade. It's the only completely magical settlement in Magical Britain. The history is very old-"

Ron, who had finally swallowed, added, "I'm looking forward to Honeydukes. It's got the very best of the best sweets available. The biggest sweetshop in Magical Britain. Their Chocoballs are to die for. I really want to try their Sugar Quills. I can pretend to pay attention with those and-"

"-it's said that the 1612 Goblin Rebellion took place mostly in the Headquarters which was located in Hogsmeade. And the Shrieking Shack is the most haunted building in Britain, but what I'm confused about it how most people in Hogsmeade have attended Hogwarts where ghosts literally haunt the school all the time and then there's Peeves, like, what can be so scary that no one will go near it? I think I'm going to go and see what's wrong with-"

"And I want to try the Pepper Imps that make you smoke from the mouth, that'd be cool."

Harry looked back and forth between them. "I deserve a medal for literally managing to keep up with both of you."

Hermione flushed and Ron shrugged.

Just as Harry was about to ask what classes Hermione was taking, the compartment door slid open to reveal the Slytherin Trio of Idiots. Malfoy seemed to have lost all baby fat and his blond hair was no longer plastered to his head with Stick It Gel. Crabbe and Goyle didn't change all that much though, besides height that is.

Malfoy's pointed face was pinched a bit as he sneered at the occupants of the compartment. Crabbe and Goyle merely grunted and waited for Malfoy to give them an order.

"Oh look who it is, Potty and his pet Weasel."

Ron bristled and stood. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he spat.

"Oh, just wondering if your family decided to get you better robes for once, after all of that money they won this summer. Apparently not," Malfoy sniffed.

Crabbe and Goyle laughed uproariously.

"Draco," Harry purred, "you wouldn't want to wake the professor, would you?"

They all turned to Lupin who was snoring lowly.

Malfoy's eyes trailed over the man and his sneer deepened. "Most likely a disgusting Mudbloo-"

"Is there a problem here?"

Harry thought he was happy to see Tom before, but this time, he was like a Godsend.

Tom stood imposingly over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, his Prefect's badge eye level to the teenagers.

Malfoy gave Tom a lookover, seeing the badge. "Who are you?" he rudely demanded.

"Cadmus Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. Watch your tongue lest I remove points from Slytherin before the term has even begun."

So he managed to change his name. Good for him.

Malfoy's face when Tom gave his name however, was priceless. His already pale face seemed to go even paler.

"Yes, sir."

The three Slytherins left after that.

Tom turned to Harry, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, thanks Tom."

"This is a normal thing between you?"

"More like him. He bothers us until he has to leave."

"So I'll just prepare myself for the upcoming year then."

Tom smiled and left.

"Cadmus Slytherin?" Hermione said a moment later.

"Thomas Cadmus Slytherin," Harry clarified.

"He's three years older than you," she pointed out.

Ron waved a hand, "That means nothing. Mum's older than dad by a year. And my great Aunt Tessie is nine years older than her husband. What I'm worried about is the Slytherin part!"

"There is nothing wrong with him being of the Slytherin Line. He's only recently found out about it and has been working hard to catch up to what he should know. Apparently his mother was a Pureblood Squib who tried to keep the existence of magic from him. He's not happy about that. And I know how he feels with the Dursleys trying to keep it from me."

"Okay! Okay! You're defensive, I can see it."

Harry had nothing to say, so he simply remained quiet, glaring at his two friends who were grinning at him like they knew something that he didn't.

His glaring was cut off by the sudden jerking motion of the train. Hermione was dislodged form her seat, Crookshanks falling off her lap. She landed on Harry. Lupin woke up with a jolt and Ron was clutching his seat.

"The bloody hell was that?!" he demanded, looking out the window.

It was raining outside, with the wind whipping against the train.

"The wind isn't strong enough to stop a train," Hermione commented as Harry helped her to her feet. Both fell onto her seat when the train moved again.

Ron was pressed against the glass, looking out into the darkness. "There's something moving out there and I think it's coming aboard!"

Another jerk and the lights in the compartment and the ones bleeding in from the corridor of the train, shut off, leaving them in eerie darkness. The temperature dropped suddenly, the window suddenly frosting over.

Lupin stood, his wand in hand. "The Dementors have come to search the train!"

"Fuck!"

Varix popped into visible view, ignoring Lupin's flinch at her arrival. She faced the door, with both hands raised. A dark form appeared on the other side, just as Varix started to chant in a language that Harry didn't recognize.

The door slowly slid open.

A startling red light appeared between Varix's raised palms and started to grow. She spread her fingers apart and drew her hands away from each other, until they spanned the length of the compartment, a large spear of red, crackling energy floating before her.

The creature on the other side of the door was tall and covered in a black cloak. And with it, came a coldness that chilled Harry to his bones. He blinked furiously, trying to stop his twitching. His heart was pounding relentlessly. Distantly, he could hear the high scream of a woman in pain.

The last thing Harry saw before collapsing, was Varix taking hold of the red spear and lunging at the cloaked figure with a loud battle cry.

All was lost.

* * *

Varix lifted her battle spear and charged at the Dementor. Its cold, bony fingers grabbed into her left arm, but was unable to stop her right arm from swinging the spear forward and stabbing it right where the mouth resided.

With an inhuman shriek of pain, the Dementor began to tremble, even as the bolts of crimson discharge electrocuted it. The Dementor exploded in a shower of black shards, covering the surrounding area of the corridor in a mess.

Varix, though feeling pain in her arm from where she was grabbed, pointed the spear at the nearest Dementor, which was a several yards down the corridor, on her left.

Dementors weren't stupid. They could tell when they were in danger. The Dementor turned around and left through the nearest door. Students all down the train were looking out the compartment doors, even as Varix carefully scoured to make sure that all of the Dementors had indeed gone.

"You destroyed a Dementor," one of the girls she recognized from Gryffindor, said breathlessly.

"Yeah. It nearly froze my arm off too. The bastard. I'm going to talk to your Headmistress. Get back in you compartments and don't come out until a Prefect, Aurur, or a professor tells you it's safe. Go!"

She found the McGonagall woman in the front with the conductor, raging over the Dementors daring to stop the Hogwarts Express.

"I just killed a Dementor," she announced, shocking the woman and the conductor.

The Scottish woman turned, regarding her closely.

Her dress had shortened considerably because she had used Elven Battle Magick to kill the Dementor. Her left forearm was covered in a deep blue stripe that was so cold it burned.

"I think Harry collapsed. He was about five feet away, but his life compared to his friends or the other students was much worse. He'll need to be watched. As for the students, I told them to stay in their compartments until a professor comes to tell them it's safe."

McGonagall was looking at her arm, "Did the Dementor do that?"

"Yeah, it hurts a lot."

Raising her hand over the freeze burned flesh, Varix began to sing, using more Elvish Magic to heal herself.

"It's such a shame that the more interesting aspects our magical history have to be illegal," McGonagall frowned. "I'll go speak to the Prefects and Heads. Perhaps you should get Potter some chocolate until we reach the school. And don't overwork yourself."

She was marching off down the train in the next second, calling over her shoulder, "Thank you!"

Varix popped herself back to the compartment her godson was in, seeing Hermione waving a hand over his face and Lupin breaking a bar of chocolate and giving Ron and Hermione some pieces of it.

Lupin jumped again, but she ignored him in favor of waking Harry up.

_Snap._

* * *

Harry came to very slowly. He could hear what people around him were saying, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't open his eyes. His eyelids were too heavy.

"Harry?"

That was Hermione.

"Mate?"

There was Ron.

"Damn kid, you better not be dead or else I'll resurrect your ass just to kill you again."

Ah, there was Varix.

"I'm fine, sort of," he managed to mumble.

"Oh yeah, totally fine. You just fainted when a Dementor got too close, no biggie," she said in a dry tone.

Someone was helping him sit up and cold fingers forced his eyes open. He winced at the bright light, blinking rapidly to stop the pain.

"Who screamed?" he asked, looking to Hermione and Varix as he remembered the woman screaming.

Hermione looked at Ron, who shrugged, "No one was screaming Harry. Though Varix did give quite the war cry."

"Meh, habit."

"I-I heard someone. A woman. She sounded like she was in terrible pain."

The occupants of the compartment shared a worried look.

A bar of Honeydukes Chocolate was being pushed in his face and he turned to see the Lupin man, offering it was a small smile. "Chocolate has healing properties and helps fight off Dementor effects. It'll warm you up as well."

Varix was nodding, so he accepted the sweet with gratitude and took a bite.

Already he was feeling better.

The window was no longer frozen. The lights had all come back on. No one looked ready to die. Varix's dress was incredibly short though.

"What happened?" he asked, eyeing the purple dress barely covering her.

"I used Elven Battle Magick and Healing in one day. I'm kind of tired and since there is no sunlight at the moment, I'm really low on energy."

"You should sit and rest."

"Yeah, yeah, Goggles told me not to overwork myself."

Varix plopped into Harry's former seat.

Lupin was looking back and forth between them.

"I'm going to look for the Headmistress."

* * *

The start of term was unlike any other time. The students were in mass panic over the Dementors. Some of them ended up getting real close to the creatures and were feeling ill.

McGonagall announced that she would not be allowing them inside the school which helped to put the children at ease.

Professor Sinistra, who was the new Head of Gryffindor, lead the shivering first years into the hall. Tom walked behind them slowly, eyes trailing over the Great Hall.

The Sorting Hat sang a new song and the students were sorted. Tom came last.

"Cadmus Slytherin!" Professor Sinistra said finally, making the hall go silent from shock. Tom stepped forward and she placed the hat on his curly head.

There was a moment of silence and Hermione leaned in to whisper, "His sorting is almost as long as yours was!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Tom took a seat among the Ravens and sent a smile in Harry's direction.

McGonagall gave the annual warning against the Dark Forest and told the students not to go anywhere alone. Groups could always send someone ahead if a Dementor came too near.

After the feast, the Gryffindors made their way on up to their Common Room. The third year boys were shoved into a new room, up another level. And the rooms this year didn't surround a bathroom like a doughnut. No, there was a bathroom, that had seven doors leading to other rooms. Literally, the rooms made no sense because in order to enter or leave, you had to pass through the bathroom first.

So after bypassing the toilets and sinks, they had to find the door with their names on it. Finally, the one on the far right, showed promise and they entered to find a large square room with a big metal railing surrounding an old, cylindrical, coal stove to keep them warm in the winter months.

Harry and Ron were on opposite sides of the room and the boys along with Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnegan, started rearranging everything to the way they liked it. Neville in the far corner where there was space for his plants that he brought, Ron and Harry and the Seamus and Dean.

"Much better."

Seamus pulled a goblet out of his trunk and opened the nearest window. He held it out for a moment, before bringing it back.

"You a bit parched?" Dean asked, looking confused.

Seamus simply grinned before tapping the goblet with his wand and murmuring something too low for any of them to hear.

He drank the contents of the goblet in one gulp.

"Finally made a spell to turn water to rum!"

Neville's jaw dropped.

" _Really_?" Dean asked, leaning forward.

"Me mum helped me. It's great!"

"She lets you drink!" Ron said, sounding put out. "My mum doesn't want us drinking unless it's for important occasions."

"Varix doesn't want me drinking until I'm fifteen," Harry mumbled.

Seamus, who was busy filling another sup with rain water, winced in sympathy for him.

"That's tough, mate."

* * *

**A/N: Another one is done.**

**How was it? Let me know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Varix killed a Dementor. This won't be regular though. The magick used in the attack made her foot length dress shrink to her mid thighs.
> 
> -Yay Seamus!
> 
> -Yay Tom!
> 
> -The thing about Harry's shirts. Did anyone else notice that he seems to wear the same grey shirt with the slight V shaped, black collar in every movie? I had Varix put a stop to it immediately.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> VARIS IS MISCHIEVOUS. Extra long chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And HARVEST for those who celebrate that instead.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Harry's sleep was fitful. He tossed and turned several times in the night and ended up laying awake in bed. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get his mind off that Dementor and the pained scream that only he could hear. It had sounded vaguely familiar, that scream. He tried delving into his memory - which was a lot better thanks to that wish Varix had suggested the previous year - to try to find where he'd heard that scream from.

It's wasn't from Hogwarts, so it happened some time before then. But Petunia wasn't the high pitched sort of screamer. She sounded rather masculine when yelling or screaming. Dudley had a high scream, by it was too high to compare to the one replaying in Harry's mind over and over.

Mrs. Figg had never yelled. None of the teachers in primary raised their voices to Harry. But then again, none of them had ever screamed with a scream so filled with terror that it made the hair on the back of Harry's neck rise.

Earlier.

Much earlier.

Harry was rather ignored as a child. Chores. He had them and did them all the time. He was barely spoken to from ever since he could remember. He'd had learned what he could by paying attention to the lessons Petunia would give Dudley while Harry was cleaning. Dudley didn't want to do lessons, Harry did.

On a loop, the scream echoed inside his head, practically bouncing off the inner walls of his skull.

He winced as the decibel rose and rose.

In an attempt to stifle it, he grabbed his pillow and slapped it over his face.

Darkness.

Screaming.

He sighed, this wasn't working.

A nudge on his arm had him jerking up in bed, looking around frantically. Varix was floating beside his fourposter. He gave a relieved sigh.

"Wish for a good night of sleep," she ordered in a barely audible whisper.

Why hadn't he thought of that?

"I wish I could sleep well tonight."

_Snap._

Harry's body fell back to the bed and darkness and warmth filled him. Much better.

_Darkness. A room filled with strange items. Bright green eyes in front of him._

_A flash of lightning._

_Green eyes of a woman. Red hair, long. Pale face. Woman._

_Room is locked. Bars in front of his face._

_A look around. Cot. Mobile of dragons dangling above his head._

_"Harry."_

_His name said softly. Two pairs of the same green eyes meet._

_"Harry you are so loved… so loved."_

_A smile._

_Pales hands lift, holding something. A feather. No. A quill._

_The woman grits her teeth as she brings it into contact with his brow._

_Something cold and wet._

_Odd._

_She winces. Discards the quill._

_"Ma^udre` m`staru."_

_The walls glows red for a second._

_Light returns to darkness._

_"Live on, Harry."_

_The door suddenly explodes in shards of wood._

_The woman whirls on the intruder, hands held out as if in defense._

_"Step aside you foolish Mudblood."_

_Cold. Deadly. Evil. A voice of destruction._

_"Not Harry! Not Harry, please not Harry!" she pleads, desperation in her tone._

_Solid. Resolute. Brave. Loving._

_"Stand aside you silly girl… stand aside, now..."_

_"Not Harry! Please… no… take me. Kill me instead!"_

_A hand reaching behind her. A warm palm pressed to his head._

_"Not Harry! Please… have mercy... have mercy! I'll do anything!"_

_Assurance. She really would do anything._

_"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"_

_"No!"_

_The hand on his head began to heat up. Hotter and hotter._

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_Bright green, like the eyes._

_But this… this wasn't calm or full of love._

_This was death and it came swiftly._

_The woman screamed. So unearthly. So shrill. Terror captured in mere seconds. His name on her lips._

_Crimson eyes now. Dark figure. Wand of pale wood._

_Inhuman being. Smirking in glee._

_"Harry Potter. You will not be a threat to me any longer."_

_The being's wand raises, glowing with the green death._

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_Burning. His forehead burns. It's hot. It hurts._

_Make it stop!_

_Make it stop!_

_Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop!_

_Screaming._

_Don't know who it's coming from._

_Him or the being?_

_Darkness._

_Cold._

_Lonely._

_Tingling._

_Night._

_Rest._

* * *

Harry managed to sleep well, though his dream - nightmare? - was unsettling. And from what he'd learned of Godric's Hollow and what he'd seen personally, he'd venture a guess that the woman was Lily Potter, with him in the nursery. The glowing walls and the quill made sense.

So his dream was just a memory. And the Avada Kedavra curse was the green light he'd always remembered in his childhood.

What a morbid thing to remember at such a young age.

Getting ready for the first day of classes was a hoot. The bathroom had more showers than the last one did and Harry caught it before anyone else woke.

He shook Ron awake, murmuring about food to get him moving.

They met Hermione in the Common Room and walked down to the Great Hall together.

Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were busy at the Slytherin Table, doing something that looked like fake fainting. Both turned to him and smirked wickedly.

"Hey, Potter!" Malfoy yelled loudly, gaining the attention of the people in the Hall. "The Dementors are coming for you!"

"I'm gonna kick that little brat's ass!" Varix hissed suddenly.

Harry's watch disappeared and a black figure appeared behind Malfoy, who had his back facing the wall. The form looked very much like a Dementor. Big, black, cloaked, and those creepy hands.

It reached out and grabbed Malfoy's shoulder. Malfoy screamed, loud, long, and high, trying to pull away. The other Slytherins moved aside instantly, most of them scrambling from their seats, though no one but Malfoy and Parkinson was screaming.

The 'Dementor' disappeared, showing Varix, whose dress had returned to its former length.

The entire Great Hall burst into laughter.

Varix disappeared with a  _pop_ , returning to her 'watch' form.

The best part of the whole spectacle, was the fact that the Slytherins were also laughing at the two third years in their House.

Professor Sinistra was walking up and down the Gryffindor Table, handing out their class schedules. Hermione accepted hers with obvious excitement and squealed a bit. "We're starting some of our newer subjects!"

Ron leaned over, "They messed up your schedule. You can't physically do ten subjects a day, there isn't any time. And you'll have so much homework to do. Do you plan to eat or sleep at all?"

"I've got it all worked out," she asserted. "That's what I had to talk to Professor McGonagall about on the train."

"But Hermione, you're down for three classes all at nine o'clock! How are you going to handle all of those?"

"It's all worked out. I'll do all the work and attend every other class. Don't worry."

Hermione spread some marmalade on her toast, ignoring the rest of Ron's complaints.

"Hello, Harry."

The Boy-Who-Lived turned and smiled. "Hi, Tom! What's the Ravenclaw Common Room like?"

"Now Harry, that would be telling," Tom smirked, seating himself beside Harry.

"Shouldn't you be at the Ravenclaw Table?" Ron asked, looking distrustful.

"There isn't anything saying I have to partake of my meals at my House table."

"There isn't," Harry confirmed. Having memorized the handbook, he would know.

Hermione simply quirked a brow at him, but went back to her food.

"So, I've been informed that the Gryffindor Trio tends to get into mischief. Will I have to report you this year?" Tom asked, giving Harry a look.

Harry shrugged, "If I was planning some mischief, I certainly wouldn't tell  _you_  about it, Mr. Prefect."

"Very Slytherin of you."

"Slytherins don't hold the right to being clever. My fairy godmother is simply teaching me to watch what I say so I don't reveal too much."

"I suppose."

After breakfast and a ridiculous amount of grinning from Hermione and Ron, they went their separate ways. Hermione and Ron went up to find the Divination classroom in the North Tower. Harry had a free period, so he didn't know how to spend it.

"Free block, Harry?"

The teen jumped, clutching a hand to his heart as he turned to see Tom standing behind him.

"Uh… yeah. You too?"

"Yes. Care to go to the Library?"

Harry ended up following Tom to the Library.

"What extra courses are you taking?"

"Obviously Runes, and then Care of Magical Creatures."

"What sort of future do you envision for yourself?"

"Being alive."

Tom cocked a brow, "That's a rather strange vision."

"Well, Voldemort seems to want me dead for some reason. If he comes into power once again, people will probably expect me as the Boy-Who-Lived, to handle him. I'm just a teen and I have barely any experience. He's… ancient. He's powerful. I'm just Harry."

Tom cast him a small glance full of interest, before plucking a book from the shelf and heading on over to a chosen table. Harry seated himself on the other side of Tom.

"How was your summer?" the Ravenclaw asked as he flipped through the pages of his book, eyes scanning the words greedily.

"I got to go to Egypt!"

Tom looked up in interest, "And what did you do while there?"

Harry grinned, mind flashing back to one of his many expeditions with the Weasleys and Varix.

*

_The sky was very blue and the sun shone much too brightly for anyone's tastes. Egypt was looking to be another extremely hot climate._

_Harry had to be psyched up in order to leave the hotel. It was cool inside, but the outside was like hell on earth. Even with the offering of fairy made cooling charms, he couldn't be bothered to move._

_And then Ron showed up with his brother Bill._

_Harry ignored Varix's giggling and simply waved them inside the joint rooms. Bill was smiling invitingly and Ron was talking a mile a minute about visiting some old tomb. They wanted to know if Harry and Varix would like to join their family on their little expedition._

_Harry looked to Varix pleadingly, begging with his eyes._

_She rolled her shining violets and nodded._

_So within half an hour, the Weasleys, plus two, were on their way up the dunes. In the distance, was a large rectangular rock formation, called a mastabas, or so Bill explained. It was basically a tomb._

_Since this one had already been checked by the Gringotts' Curse Breakers, it was open for magical tourists. And they would even be selling the items the people were buried with._

_Harry had felt a little bad, seeing as it was a part of their history, but it wasn't like you could take things into the afterlife with you. He'd asked Varix just to be certain._

_"No. You either go to Limbo, the in between for the incomplete souls, where you must watch everybody move past you and onward, or you go to Animterrera, the next world. There is no heaven, there is no hell. It's basically like having a new life in a new place. You can't age and die. You are a soul construct, and souls can't be killed. They can be removed in a sense. Necromancers have the ability to bring souls back to Viveterrera, this world. And then there are Dêănös. Very much like the Dementors of the magical world. They are A-mortal and never age. They can be destroyed though, but not by many. What happens, is that they eat souls and make them cease to exist in a sense, like the Dementors._

_You can't just pop a Dementor and free all of the souls inside, it doesn't work like that. Dementors are… like portals, I guess. Like a black hole wrapped in a black cloak. There is no telling where the soul goes once it's taken. We just know that Dementors feast on souls and happiness and that they don't actually need to eat. As A-mortal non-beings, they have no function. No cardiovascular system, no immune system, no respiratory system, no digestive system, no souls of their own, they require no sleep, and they don't become weak. Dêănös are exactly like this. They are basically the Dementors of the next world and they make you cease to exist._

_You cannot take things with you. Animterrera is literally a new plane of existence where all beings go when they die. So that means every creature from every realm, goes there. I'll tell you about the hierarchy later on, it's too much to delve into right. Just know that you cannot take things with you, because your station in that world is already decided the moment you die."_

_So Harry learned that basically all religion is false and that people can't take things with them when they die._

_The amount of preservation on the objects the Goblins were selling from the tomb, was amazing. Thousands of years in perfect condition._

_According to Varix, Egypt had many charmers. The magicals of olde Egypt were revered and those who spoke to the animals were considered to be the chosen of gods. Especially those who understood and spoke Purrintongue. As the ancients worshipped felines, those who spoke to them were obviously favored and earned high respect._

_Bill Weasley described the kinds of curses placed on the tomb and how many Breakers it took to simply get into the entrance._

_From then on, it was an uphill battle with this tomb alone._

_Dementors, Jackals - human/dog hybrid creatures with long fangs, carrying sickles and chains - Sphinxes, and serpents, had been set to guard the tomb from robbers and the process of clearing out this one tomb of deceased nobles, took almost fifty years._

_That long for a tomb!_

_Inside, Harry was amazed at the structure and how safe it was to walk on things that looked like they'd crumble in seconds._

_Harry, while finding the large sarcophagus interesting, was much more drawn to the markings on the walls, illuminated by the lit torches around the room._

_They were of a man, from what he could tell. A man holding a snake. Beneath the picture, was a small paragraph formed of squiggles. He squinted, knowing that his eyesight was perfect - thanks to Varix - and that he shouldn't be having such a difficult time making out what was there._

_He squinted harder, feelings his eyes vibrate just a little and the squiggles being to move together, forming words._

_**In days long past,** _

_**The servants of the pharaoh,** _

_**Would search far and wide,** _

_**For the serpent charmers.** _

_**In days long past,** _

_**Few were found,** _

_**And the pharaoh was angered,** _

_**For lack of gain.** _

_**In days long past,** _

_**Reverence to those,** _

_**Who possessed the serpents,** _

_**Through their own tongue.** _

_**In days long past,** _

_**They died away,** _

_**Leaving Egypt bereft,** _

_**Without respect.** _

_**In days long past,** _

_**A skill gone away,** _

_**Where some still search,** _

_**And will find none.** _

_Harry's head tilted, wondering if it was supposed to be a poem. From what he gleaned, Egypt once had people who spoke Parseltongue and it had lost those people some time ago. And they couldn't find anymore of them and lost the respect they'd had from their fellows._

_He moved on to the next picture. The snake was alone this time, a Cobra. Its head was reared back and it looked ready to bite, fangs protruding threateningly._

_More words._

_**The mighty Cleopatra's asp,** _

_**With venom that kills,** _

_**A favored creature among the Speakers,** _

_**Guardians of the pharaoh.** _

_**Death of the Speakers,** _

_**Brings the uncontrolled rage,** _

_**The mighty snake has fallen,** _

_**And with it, all of Egypt.** _

_So Egyptians loved cats and had guard snakes. Okay._

_Bill Weasley noticed Harry's interest and commented, "No one has been able to determine the importance."_

_"It's not super important. Egypt had Parselmouths at some point, but lost them and the snakes that had been used to guard something or whatever, turned and began attacking. Not much in the story, so far."_

_Harry moved on to the next picture, jumping when Bill caught his arm. "You can understand that?" he asked, gesturing wildly to the walls._

_"Yes."_

_"That's Parselscript."_

_Harry's mouth dropped and he looked around for Varix, who was busy trying to pull the twins out of a sarcophagus._

_"Varix, Parseltongue has a written form?"_

_"Yes!" she yelled back. "It comes from the Naga, Hydra, Lamia, Dragons, Drackens, Krakens, Serpents, Quetzalcoatl, and pretty much any other serpent like creature. Some can attain human form and have in the past, married humans, you can say. Parseltongue comes from them and the hybrids born of them, were able to develop a written language. It's like a bunch of squiggly esses that make no sense to people who aren't Parselmouths. You understand it fine because you are a Parselmouth."_

_The Weasley who had heard that little revelation, turned to gape at Harry, who was paying more attention to Bill's reaction than anything else._

_"Ever think of being a Curse Breaker?" the man asked with a grin. "We get too many cursed objects that would be handled easier if we had a Parselmouth on hand."_

_"You're… okay with it?"_

_"Sure."_

_Harry stared in awe, because he'd known that British wizards didn't favors Parseltongue._

_Bill's acceptance was another thing that made Harry enjoy Egypt._

*

Harry smiled as he finished recalling the events of that day. Good memories.

"You're a Parselmouth?" Tom asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah. I don't know why either. I was happy that the Weasleys are fine with it. I know that British wizards don't like it."

"Who is Bill Weasley?" Tom asked, bringing Harry fully back to the present.

Harry looked up to Tom. Tom's eyes were less inviting and his mouth was a bit tight at the corners.

"Are you okay?"

"Certainly. Who is Bill Weasley?"

"Oh, Ron's oldest brother. He's a Curse Breaker and he's amazing!" Harry practically gushed, remembering all the things he'd learned about Runes while talking with Bill. "He recommended the Rune books for me!"

Tom nodded calmly, flipping another page in his book, though he wasn't even looking down.

"And how do you feel-"

**RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!**

The bell for the next class sounded and Harry jumped up.

"I have to get to Transfiguration, sorry Tom!"

Harry waved and rushed off to find Hermione and Ron.

He found them alright and Hermione was spitting, frothing at the mouth more like.

"It's a complete load of rubbish!" she insisted, even as Harry caught up to them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, coming up beside Ron, who was rolling his eyes.

Hermione looked ready to bite. Her hair was poofing up in the back and her mouth was in a firm line. "Divination is complete rubbish. Be glad you didn't take it because the professor is madder than Dumbledore was and she smells of sherry."

"She told Hermione that she had no skill in Divination and now Hermione is ready to lose it. She also explained that if you don't have the Sight, capital 'S' apparently, then there will be little she can teach us because books cannot take people too far in Divination."

"She right," Harry nodded. "There are books on it in Potter Manor's library and I studied one when contemplating my second class. There are all sorts of Seers. Those who See the future, those who See the past, those who See romantic ties between people, those who See into other realms, Those who See into dreams, it goes on and on. If you don't have the Sight, doesn't matter which one, you won't really be able to utilize anything you learn. Though learning of it to at least know about it isn't so bad."

Hermione's shoulders slumped.

Ron was barreling on however. "She also said that in February, a lot of people would get the flu and she'd lose her voice for a while. And in Easter, 'one of our number will leave us forever'. And she knew Neville would break his first cup and told him which kind to take after it because she favored the pinks ones! She also said his grandmother wasn't well and that he'd be late for the next class!"

"Rubbish!" Hermione hissed as they took their seats in the Transfiguration classroom.

McGonagall was sitting in her seat and Harry's head tilted.

"Professor, aren't you Headmistress now?"

She looked up, "Mr. Potter, to be honest, the only work the Headmaster has to do is regulate whether or not the points being taken are actually allowed and go to the Ministry every month to update the archives. I am perfectly capable of teaching this class as well as being the Headmistress."

"Okay."

The class began, McGonagall was talking about Animagi and then turned herself into a cat. So then that's what it was like. Harry wanted to do it.

With a  _pop_ , she returned to normal, glaring at the students. "What is the matter with you all? Usually you're amazed when I turn into a feline."

"Most of us just had Divination, professor," Lavender Brown said quietly.

McGonagall sighed, "Oh. Who is dying this year?"

Harry's jaw dropped.

"Me," came Neville's quiet voice. "Apparently, there was a woman toward the handle of my cup, which means I'll be visited by a female soon. A hook, which means an obsession, a bat which means death, and finally, an octopus which will bring danger. According to Professor Trelawney, the woman will bring danger and is obsessed with killing me."

Harry looked back and forth between the professor and Neville. McGonagall was always strict, she had even asked her question looking annoyed. But the moment Neville explained, she seemed worried and her eyes had softened toward him.

"I urge you to not to think hard on her prediction, Mr. Longbottom. They've never come true. You see, true Seers are very rare and Professor Trelawney-"

She broke off, taking a deep breath. "Just know that it isn't true. She does this every year in order to terrify the new students. Nothing ever happens. I'll have a talk with her."

And class went on, though no one who had been in the class seemed inclined to believe her words.

Lunch came quickly.

Then there was Potions.

Snape presided over the class like a dark cloud of rain. He practically poured annoyance and unhappiness, all over them.

Shrinking Solution.

Harry waved his wand over his cauldron, murmuring the spell Varix taught him to protect his potions from outward harm. He then looked toward the board and then down at his book, finding differences in the recipe.

Harry's head continued to go back and forth. He cautiously cast a glance in Hermione's direction. She was looking at the board, while cutting her daisy roots into even portions. To his other side, Ron was looking at the book, while cutting his roots as well.

Was he supposed to use the book or the board? Hermione's potions always came out right, but his and Ron's usually came out off. They used the book and she used the board.

He didn't feel like asking.

He really didn't want to deal with the backlash from Snape all over a question that most likely had an easy to find answer.

He glanced at the board one more time, before deciding to just eenie meenie minie mo it. He ended up with the board.

So Harry set to cutting up his roots and skinning his shrivelfig.

The classroom was filled with the sounds of cutting and chopping. Some murmurs here and there. Snape glided through the rows of tables, calling out improper cutting techniques and the colors of the potions.

Harry was quick and efficient. Cutting was something he was good at. Slicing, dicing, mincing, chopping, he was good at it thanks to his skills in cooking. Snape had never commented on Harry's skill with a knife, because there was nothing wrong with it. It was just usually everything else that was wrong.

But if Harry was using the book and it was partially wrong, then no wonder his potions never came out well enough.

He proceeded on, slicing his six caterpillars with extreme accuracy and speed, not paying attention to anything else.

"Mr. Potter, you are causing a racket," said a deep voice very closely to his ear.

Harry shivered a bit, turned a bit to see Snape standing very close, looking over his shoulder.

Hermione was busy leaning over his block, staring at the pieces of caterpillar. "They're perfect length," she breathed in what sounded like awe. "You were slicing so fast too."

"Skilled at cooking and that's where it came from," Harry murmured.

"How much cooking?"

"It used to be all the meals. But the House Elves don't want me cooking and we had this huge argument that finally ended in me at least being allowed to cook twice a week," Harry said with an eye roll.

"Mate, their your servants. If you want to cook just tell them. I've never heard of someone wanting to cook when they have House Elves, let alone  _arguing_  with them about cooking for themselves. They do as you say. You say you want to cook breakfast and then they go, 'okay' and there you go."

Harry stared at his ginger haired friend, mouth open. All those arguments over the food when he could have just said that he was doing it anyway?!

"Oh."

Ron snorted. "Or you could have just wished for them to let you make breakfast all the time."

Harry head connected with his hand and he groaned. Varix's giggles from his 'watch' weren't helping.

Harry went back to cutting, grumbling to himself.

The potion was underway. Harry was efficient, adding things as they were ordered to on the board. He also ignored the fact that Snape was still behind him.

Red, yellow, purple, green, and now the potion was pink. Close to its final phase. He added one more sliced caterpillar and turned the heat on the burner, down, allowing it to simmer until it turned green once more. The description on the board suggested an emerald green shade to mark it perfect.

Harry watched carefully for the potion to turn before shutting the burner off completely.

He rummaged in his bag for his potion vials and began ladling the potion into them. He marked the first with his name and moved to the front, where Hermione had been a few feet ahead of him, to place it on Snape's desk. Hers looked exactly the same, so Harry had high hopes for his potion being correct.

He couldn't help but ask when they got back to their table, "Mione, did you notice the difference in the potion on the board, or did you decide to do it just because Professor Snape wrote it?"

"I did both versions and found Professor Snape's to be better."

"Oh."

So basically, Snape had better versions of the potions they did. No wonder he was a Potions Master.

A few minutes later, Snape called attention to the class. "By now, your potions should be an emerald green color, if you have done them correctly," he sneered. "Ladle them into your vials and place them on my desk."

There was no homework.

They made their way to Defense next.

"Can you believe it? Not a snarky word from him. Not one!" Ron said in amazement.

"He changed a bit after last year, I'm not so shocked."

"So we have DADA next. Do you think this one is competent?"

"Ron!"

"What? The other two weren't."

"Still, he's a teacher."

"Pfft!"

Defense was normal. The classroom wasn't covered in portraits of Lupin or weird creatures like with Quirrellmort. No, it was plain and lacking decoration, but compared to the past two years, Harry didn't mind in the least.

Lupin was standing in front of a wardrobe when they walked in.

"You only need your wands today."

The students shared a look, but put their bags on the floor and waited calmly.

The wardrobe shook suddenly, though it didn't open. Lupin smiled, "Nothing at all to worry about, just a Boggart in there."

Harry saw the looks of horror on the faces of the students and wondered what was so wrong about facing their fears. Unless of course the fear could be dangerous to other people, then maybe.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. Small cupboards, the spaces underneath beds, sometimes a wardrobe. This one appeared sometime in the teacher's lounge yesterday and Professor McGonagall allowed me to move the entire wardrobe here for our lesson.

Now, what is a Boggart?"

Hermione, Harry, Neville, Dean, and Millicent Bulstrode of all people, raised their hands.

Lupin pointed to Neville.

"They're shapeshifters."

"Excellent! And what does a Boggart do?"

The same five people raised their hands, Hermione's beating the rest of them up though. But Lupin nodded to Bulstrode.

"They take on the form of what they think someone will fear the most."

"Exactly. Now, does anyone know what a Boggart looks like?"

Harry was chosen this time.

"No one knows."

"Correct! And how can we defeat a Boggart, Hermione?"

"Laughter."

"Right you are! So the moment I release the Boggart from the wardrobe, it'll become what we fear most. How can this give us an advantage though? Someone who hasn't already answered a question, please?"

Zabini answered, "Because with so many people, it won't know what to turn into."

"Wonderful! Ten points to Slytherin, fifteen points to Gryffindor!"

The Slytherins that weren't a part of Malfoy's gang, all looked pleasantly surprised. Harry nodded slightly, happy that Lupin didn't seem to be against Slytherins.

"Now, I'm going to need a volunteer… Neville, how about you?"

Neville let out a small squeak and tried to hide behind Harry, which was pointless because he was at least five inches taller than Harry was. Ron had no mercy anywhere inside him, because he grabbed Neville by the collar and pulled him forward. Harry joined in, giving the shy Gryffindor a bit of a push to get him moving.

Lupin was smiling at Neville, "Now, the charm to repel a Boggart is _Riddikulus_. You must think very clearly on how to turn your fear into something humorous. So, without your wands I want you all to repeat, _Riddikulus_!"

" _Riddikulus_!" they mimicked.

"Once again."

" _Riddikulus_!"

"Spectacular! Now, Neville, what scares you the most?"

Neville's head turned downward and he mumbled something.

"Really?"

Neville nodded frantically.

"Well, I don't blame you. He frightens all."

Harry knew who it was then. Snape. Neville was most scared of Snape. But why? Though yes, Snape had been mean for a year and a half, before Varix dealt with him. Maybe intimidation. Hm…

"You live with your grandmother, Augusta, correct?"

"I don't want it to turn into her either!"

Lupin smiled calmly, "I wouldn't either. I remember her Howlers."

Neville shivered and nodded.

Lupin leaned in and murmured something in Neville's ear. Neville turned and gave him the most horrified look anyone can manage.

"Do you understand?" asked Lupin.

Neville nodded pulling out his wand though not looking any braver than before.

"Think very hard on it, Neville. _Alohomora_!" Lupin said, stepping back several feet.

The wardrobe door clicked and it opened with a loud creak. Snape stepped out of the wardrobe, his long, black robes billowing behind him. His dark eyes landed on Neville.

Neville stiffened and raised his wand. " _Riddikulus_!"

Snape's black robes bled into a green, formfitting dress, a vulture tipped hat on his head, and a red handbag in his hands.

" **HA**!"

The class burst into laughter, but the loudest was from Variux, who appeared above Harry, holding a camera. "Best blackmail ever!"

She snapped the photo and cackled, before disappearing and since Harry's 'watch' didn't return, she must have gone to develop the film.

Harry laughed harder, because Varix now had a picture of Snape in a dress!

Lupin waved to the students, who all got into a line. Hermione was next.

The Snape Boggart turned into McGonagall, looking absolutely stern and disappointed.

"You failed everything."

Hermione let out a scream of terror, jumping when Harry jabbed her in the ribs. She turned around for a second, before whipping her wand at the Boggart and calling, " _Riddikulus_!"

McGonagall shrank into a small kitten with a head much too big for it's body. The head pulled it to the floor, where the rest of the body dangled into the air, feet kicking and unable to move.

Giggles filled the room. Dean was next, followed by Parvati and Ron.

A large snake and a large spider. Harry shivered at the spider. Nothing with that many legs should ever grow so large.

Harry was next and he wasn't shocked when the Boggart turned into a Dementor. He was shocked however, when it turned into a woman. A familiar woman. Lily Potter. But her eyes weren't bright as Harry remembered them. They were dull. She fell back, hitting the floor with a thud. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling. She wasn't moving.

And then he realized. She was dead.

But he'd come to terms with his orphan status years ago. So why was this his fear?

Lily's mouth opened suddenly and a chilling scream echoed from deep within her throat. The scream that haunted him all night last night.

The students all shrank away from the sound, covering their ears. Lupin looked horrified at the fallen corpse.

How to turn his dead, screaming mother into something funny. He couldn't think of anything.

With wand in hand, he gave a half-hearted, " _Riddikulus_." The body on the floor erupted in a shower of white lilies.

He shrugged, still not understanding, but he went to join Hermione and Ron, who both looked horrified.

The class was silent.

Harry shrugged, "I really have no idea. The scream annoyed me but the rest, I don't get it."

Class resumed, though much more somber than before. Harry's supposed fear was enough to bring the mood down. Harry was still trying to make heads and tails of it.

The next class was Care of Magical Creatures. Harry was looking forward to it, as Hagrid was teaching this year. Having passed all the required O.W.L.s with all Os, Hagrid got to apply for the position and was given it happily.

The demon books were brought out while students walked their way down to Hagrid's hut. Ron struggled with his. Hermione had a large leather belt wrapped around hers.

"Varix told me that you stroke the spine in order to calm it down. They purr."

Those who heard him, did so, sighing in relief as the demons settled down.

Hagrid was grinning, waving his hands. "Gather 'round. Got a real treat yer today!"

He began leading them off toward the stables, where there was a large paddock full of creatures. They were large, like horses, or griffins maybe, and had wings like eagles.

Hippogriff.

He remembered reading about them. Seeing as Varix wanted him to read ahead on everything, he knew a lot of stuff already.

"Anyone know what they are?" Hagrid asked from up ahead.

"Hippogriffs!" Hermione and Harry called back simultaneously.

"Well done!"

Hagrid was grinning, "Now, yeh'll need to open yer books to page forty-nine!"

"And how exactly do we  _do_  that?" sneered Malfoy.

Hagrid turned and gave the blond a look that conveyed all that he thoughts of the blond's intelligence. His voice made it even better, full of sarcasm and obvious questioning of whether Malfoy was altogether in mind. "You stroke the _spine_ of course."

Malfoy glared when Zabini snickered at him.

"Firs' thing yeh need ter know 'bout a Hippogriff is tha' they are very proud creatures. Yeh _never_ insult 'em, it may be the las' thing yeh ever do."

Hagrid said all of this seriously, eyes dark and foreboding.

"Now, if anyone wants ter come and take a closer look-"

Harry felt a small breeze and looked around to see that everyone had taken several steps back, leaving him up front. Hagrid turned around and beamed at him.

"Well done, Harry!"

Well, now he had to go through with it so Hagrid wouldn't be disappointed.

With a sigh and a small glare to Ron and Hermione who shrugged unapologetically, Harry placed a hand on the fence keeping the students 'safe' from the Hippogriffs, and vaulted himself over it in one jump. He smirked at the gasps coming from behind him as he strode on over to his friend turned professor.

He'd seen Bill do that during the summer and practiced in secret. So obviously Varix found out about it and wouldn't let him live it down. Still, it was useful and looked really cool, especially to those who knew nothing about Muggles or how to perform the stunts Muggles could do.

"Now, Harry. Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move. It's polite. Yeh approach, bow, and wait. If it bows back, yer can touch him. If he doesn' bow, get away from it sharpish.

The grey one, is Buckbeak. Don't blink though, they don't trus' people who blink too much."

Hagrid cautioned Harry with his hand, waving invitingly and then slowing down before making the bowing gesture. Harry was about ten feet from the nearest Hippogriff. It was grey, but it was so much more than that. Like a grey with a brilliant silvery sheen to the feathers. The talons were golden as was the beak. The eyes however, orange. Harry had never seen a being with orange eyes before.

He locked eyes with Buckbeak, the creature's head turning a bit. Harry bowed deeply from the waist, waiting and watching.

Buckbeak blinked a few time, before his head dipped lowly, only once, but it was enough. Hagrid was applauding and smiling brightly.

"Yeh can go pat him now."

Harry was cautious. His steps slow and certain. He raised a hand while keeping eye contact with Buckbeak. The Hippogriff seemed to nod and Harry nodded back.

Buckbeak was warm. His head was soft though.

Buckbeak headbutted him lightly and shifted his head a bit. Harry scratched carefully, eliciting a small purring noise if that was possible.

Hagrid was clapping again and Harry could hear some other clapping as well.

A few moments later, Harry was soaring over Hogwarts while sitting on the back of a Hippogriff.

So much better than a broom!

Harry was a bit sad when he had to dismount, but pet Buckbeak a few more times before rejoining his friends.

"That was wicked, mate," Ron grinned.

"Yeah. It could have been you had you not ran."

"You know how Hagrid is with creatures."

Yes. He did.

Hagrid hatched a bloody dragon in a wooden hut for Merlin's sake!

The students carefully entered the paddock with the winged creatures and began bowing to the ones they approached.

Harry would swear that he'd never met someone as stupid as Malfoy.

The blond obviously felt he was too important to listen to rules and advice or to read his bloody book!

Harry's wand was out as he sent a stunner toward Malfoy, who was knocked off his feet, flying several feet into the air and across the ground. Buckbeak, who had reared back on his hind legs the moment Malfoy insulted him, lowered, looking to Harry.

Harry stalked forward, toward Malfoy.

"Do any of you know what is wrong with him?" he asked the Slytherins, who were huddled together unlike the Gryffindors who were all spaced out.

"Why is he in Slytherin at all? Was it not specified to not insult Hippogriffs or it'll be the last thing you ever do? I thought Slytherins valued self-preservation. I don't see the rest of you doing what Malfoy did."

"How dare you, Potter!" Parkinson gasped, looking affronted. She was the only one. Zabini looked interested.

"Yes, how dare I save your idiot's life. Next time he can die for all I care. I'm simply not letting my friend suffer for the blond's stupidity."

Besides, if Malfoy went whining to his father about this and Lucius Malfoy tried to pull something, Harry could just wish that Hagrid won the case.

"'arry! Please don't use spells on people. It's nice that yeh want ter help me, but yeh could get into trouble. I'll have to take five points from Gryffindor."

The Gryffindors gaped in horror.

"No attacking the other students I'm afraid. But five points to Gryffindor for saving a classmate's life," Hagrid grinned, eyes twinkling.

Harry grinned, so it wasn't that bad.

* * *

Tom Riddle, now going by Cadmus Slytherin, paced back and forth. It was the third floor corridor on the right side. There were several unused classrooms and he was using one to pace.

Harry seemed infatuated with this Bill Weasley character.

Tom needed to get Harry's attention. Gain his favor. How?

"My kid spent nearly a month with Bill," a familiar voice called from behind him.

He whirled around, glaring at the fairy who was smirking at him.

"Harry and Bill bonded over Ancient Runes, and Harry thinks Bill walks on the moon, to be blunt with you. You'll have an uphill battle."

"I'll do anything!"

"I hope for your sake that that's true."

Tom hissed a string of curses, feeling the need to rip this Bill Weasley in half.

* * *

Varix smirked as she left the teen alone, with his doubts and fears. She obviously wasn't going to mention that William Weasley was so straight, the Kinsey Scale went down to a -5 for him.

Let Tom suffer. Make him work for it! Ha!

Though she didn't have all the time to be worrying about that. Harry had been sent a gift from Sirius after classes today. And what was it? A gift certificate for anything he wanted from Honeydukes. For a fucking year!

How was she going to top that?

She needed help. Someone good at getting revenge and also who had a godson of his own. But she wasn't stupid. After threatening him, she was sure Severus Snape wouldn't want to help her. So that was where the photo she took of Neville Longbottom's fear, came in handy.

Blackmail.

Varix thrust herself through the door of Snape's classroom, ignoring his jump.

After closing the door, she waved her hand, making a chair appear. She then threw herself into it, groaning.

"What do you want?"

"I need your mind!"

"Why mine? Why not someone else's?"

"Because you're a Slytherin with good revenge impulses and you have had a godson longer so I need your expertise."

"I do not feel so inclined to aid you in any way, shape, or form."

"I know," she nodded, snapping her fingers and making the photo from earlier in the day, appear. "That's why I have this. Help me and I'll give it to you."

She flashed the photo in his face three times, waiting for his reaction.

"Where did you get that?!"

Ooh, he was a little heated. Varix smirked. "The kids did Boggarts in Defense and you were one of them! Congrats on being a thirteen year old's worst fear!"

Snape, who had stood suddenly, glowered and sat down once more.

"What do you want?"

Varix became animated and at the same time, closed off, if it made sense. She was annoyed and vengeful.

"So, Sirius Black seems to think that he's going to gain Harry's affections and so far, Harry thinks he's amazing. I'm obviously the more amazing and fun godparent and I need to get Harry a better gift than a Firebolt and year of free candy from Honeydukes. Got any ideas?"

Snape blinked a few times.

"Are you telling me… that you and Black are  _fighting_  over who is Potter's favorite guardian?"

"It's not as petty as you think, bro. If Harry likes him more and grows attached and all that lovely shit, he may not need me anymore and my contract will be up. And then I can't grant wishes until I get a new kid and I don't want a new kid!"

She was pouting.

Snape looked ready to blow.

"All of this over a boy's affections?"

"It's important to me! _I'm losing my baby_!"

She leveled him with her best pout, eyes shining with false tears.

He glared.

"You are an adult correct? Act your age!"

"I only just reached my majority! You don't suddenly go from being the age of a kid and then being the age of adult and making the transition overnight you know! I'm still a kid! One year doesn't change my mentality you know!"

"You, who destroyed a Dementor, can't handle a simple problem as this?"

"That's fighting. This is emotions and the raising of a child and all that stuff that I'm new to. Death is really easy I'll have you know."

"I know all too well," he said darkly.

"Yeah, well, good for you. I still need help and I will hold this picture ransom unless you help me outdo Black!"

Snape's eyes sharpened. "That is all?"

"Yeah. Though I admit you cut a striking figure in that dress, I have no other need of this pic. And if I wanted a pic of you, I'd take one now, you'r eyes are all expressive."

His brow twitched, but he did sigh and nod slightly.

"You will give it to me when this is over?"

"Yep! Thanks. So what are we doing?"

"Well, what does Potter like most in the world?"

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

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**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -If anyone is wondering why the poems aren't rhyming, I've noticed that in movies when someone translates an old passage that is in a DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, they somehow translate it to a perfectly rhyming English poem. That shit don't happen in real life. People in old Egypt weren't all, 'and let me make sure they can translate it so it rhymes'. It doesn't work like that!
> 
> -I got the idea Animterrera from the Soul Society from Bleach. The Dêănös are my version of the Hollows. They're just like Dementors. Simply, the Dementors of the next world.
> 
> -A mastabas is a tomb.
> 
> -Varix has Tom thinking Bill is a threat when Bill is a 0 on the Kinsey Scale.
> 
> -Varix is blackmailing Severus for help against Sirius.
> 
> -Bellatrix could be after Neville and not Harry. :D
> 
> -If anyone is curious about the interaction between Severus and Varix, you should be. :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humor and character growth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated a bunch of fics. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

So much had happened recently and Harry had no idea where to begin. Tom seemed to really find spending time with Harry much better than getting acquainted with his own Housemates. But then again, the Ravenclaws were a bit snooty and since Harry never tried to make friends with them because of that reason, he could understand why Tom did not want to spend any time with them. They were annoying and it was like layering a bunch of Hermiones on top of each other, without any of the Gryffindor traits that she had picked up from both Ron and Harry. In plain words, it was all too much.

Classes had proved to be brilliant. Professor Lupin seemed to be the only Defense professor they'd had since Harry came to the school, that could actually do his job and make it interesting. They had so far studied Boggarts, Kappas, and Red Caps. And it was nice that Professor Lupin actually bothered to award points to other Houses and not just Gryffindor even though he was a Gryffindor alumni. It always felt good to see the shock on the Slytherin's faces when a Slytherin actually got points in his class.

Harry took to runes like a duck to water. The Study of Ancient Runes was probably the best class he had ever had. The practical application for runes was so vast that Harry could choose an abundant amount of future employment methods, just from studying runes. And with Varix helping him as often as possible, he was doing best in the class. Better than even Hermione was. The only other class Harry ever busted Hermione in was Defense Against the Dark Arts. It felt nice to be able to earn a good grade over Hermione.

Now, while Harry's retention and understanding were much more advanced than his peers, he still had to work harder to memorize and understand text. Varix made him set aside time in every day in order to read his school books and the books that he brought with him. The only reason he was so far ahead of Hermione was because he had access to books that she did not. Most of his extra books came from the Potter Manor library.

It wasn't like he did bad in any of those other classes. Harry now managed to have one of the top three positions in almost every class he had. Herbology was number four but that was okay because he wasn't really that interested in plants. But the rest of it was all pretty good so he couldn't complain.

Hagrid's classes were also a lot better than he thought they would be. It was easy to tell that Hagrid felt very passionate towards the subject of magical creatures in the way that he spoke about creatures and in the way that he interacted with them in front of the class. And magical creatures seemed to really favor Hagrid above all others. Hagrid did not have to struggle to gain permission to talk to certain creatures that the other students had to worry over. Like that a Acromantula that he brought in the other day. It didn't try to eat him once. Impressive.

Now, while he did not take Divination class, everybody else and their girlfriend did take it. And everybody else - well at least most everybody - hated it. Except for Lavender and Parvati, nobody took the class seriously.

Of all the people who extremely disliked the class, Neville was one of them. Poor Neville could not seem to get a break from Trelawney and her never ending prophecies over his death. Everything they did in the class somehow ended up with Neville being killed in some horrible way that usually had him running from the classroom in hysterics. Neville constantly carried around calming draughts with him just to keep himself sane.

Another thing that was getting out of hand, was Varix. It seemed that every single time he turned around she had something new to give him. It became annoying after the fifth gift. He liked the sugar quills, he liked the fairy floss, he liked the stationary, he even liked the pocket watch, and the new pair of shoes. But he did not need all of these extra things and he did not know why she kept getting him stuff. He tried to tell her to stop but she seemed to think that it was all very important that he have all of these new things and he had no idea why.

And on top of it all, Sirius was sending him gifts as well. Very similar gifts, except one was a book and not a quill but that was neither here nor there. The book was on Ancient Runes, which Harry loved immediately. A day later, he found a very new book on Ancient Runes resting on his bedside table, from Varix. She proceeded to nag him on whether he liked it a lot or not at all.

He didn't need the gifts. He did not understand why he was getting gifts. And no matter what he said, neither of them would stop. How is he going to fix that?

He had to ask Hermione for advice, because Hermione seemed to know everything about everything and she had simply giggled at him and told him that he'd find out eventually. What kind of help was that? Your friend is having some kind of crisis and you have no desire to fill him in with the information that you already know? What was your friendship then?

On another note, Snape kept giving him these looks. And they were not looks of disdain or looks of disgust, they were more along the lines of confusion and interest. Not a creepy kind of interest either but more of the fact like Harry was some kind of experiment and he was looking forward to the results. Oh Merlin, Harry really hoped that Varix did not bring out that photograph of Neville's Boggart because he really didn't want the old dungeon bat to be angry with him over her actions. He'd have to ask her later on.

It was Hallowe'en, and Harry was particularly interested in seeing what sort of drama would happened today. Because every year he was at Hogwarts so far, something always happened on Hallowe'en. Hallowe'en seemed to be like a cursed day for him, so he was already waiting for something to happen, and none of his friends could fault him for it.

Of course was also the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year and he was very excited to finally get to go down to the little village and see all the stuff they had. During the summer, he wanted to go but Varix wouldn't let him go because she said that it would have been a better surprise for him if he went with his friends. So, he allowed himself to simply put his mind onto other matters so he wouldn't have to mope around about it.

Hermione was dressed in a light pink pullover and Ron was wearing a brown jumper. As it was getting into Autumn, it had begun to get chilly around Hogwarts. Harry himself simply wore a coat he'd gotten during the summer. With their permission slips handed in to Professor McGonagall, who was standing outside the main doors of the castle in order to accept everyone's slips, they followed the long way of students down to where the carriages were, picking one for themselves and getting on their way to Hogsmeade.

Harry did stop for a moment to pet the Thestral pulling the carriage though. And then they were off.

The ride down to the cozy little village that was known to be the only completely magically populated one in Great Britain, was nice. And the fact that it was lovely to be able to actually see the sights in the daytime and in the snow because usually when they were in the carriages it was at summer and spring on their way up to the castle. It was just a nice change.

Hermione chose the time it took to get down there to inform them about everything she had learned about Hogsmeade. Practically everything that had to do with the village. So while Ron wanted to go and visit all of the attractions, Hermione wanted to go and see all of the historical sites. Harry just wanted to go somewhere new for once. He didn't really care where he went so long as he got to go some place that was not a large castle.

After getting off near the station, they made their way into the little village. Basically, they had 5 hours to roam around. So Harry decided that they should split up their time. At the most they could probably spend 10 minutes in each shop. Of course both Ron and Hermione found that amount of time to be offensive but for completely different reasons. But Harry would not relent because if they were going to see everything in one day, they'd have to pace themselves. Both reluctantly agreed.

"Tomes and Scrolls is one of the largest magical book shops in Great Britain. Simply for the fact that they only sell tomes and scrolls. Also, all of the merchandise is over a century old. The amount of relics in the shop alone," Hermione breathed in awe.

From the old book shop and they went to Honeyduke's and Ron was like a child in a sweet shop. Since he actually was in a sweet shop, he was actually acting like the stereotypical child who got to go to a sweet shop. He ignored all of Hermione and Harry's warnings about spending all of his money at once and he spent all seven Galleons on sweets. His friends sighed because they knew he would finally see why he shouldn't have done that, later on.

Next, they visited Zonko' s Joke Shop where they found Fred and George. The Twins had their arms full of all kinds of little nifty packages, murmuring to each other about how to improve their own merchandise. The two wanted to open a joke shop of their own and needed inspiration for their own creations.

Hermione dragged them into Dervish and Banges where Harry ended up buying a Sneakoscope. With the whole Bellatrix Lestrange business going around, Harry didn't think it was wrong to get one. You never know when someone is being suspicious.

Hermione then dragged them into Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.

Harry took over then, taking them to The Magic Neep, which was Hogsmeade's greengrocer'. He ended up stocking up on mince pies. They usually weren't at Hogwarts until the winter holidays, so he was getting a few now. Nothing wrong with indulging every once in a while.

Next was J. Pippin's and Hermione was excited to get more ingredients because she wanted to test out several potions in their book. As always, she was going above and beyond what was required for her year. Of course, Harry couldn't really judge because of how Varix already made him through all of the potions ahead of time. So he already knew what to do, but it wasn't like he did it willingly. Having to do homework over the holidays, who decided to do that?

They went back to Honeydukes after a while because while Harry and Hermione did not feel that sweets made the world go 'round, they weren't reluctant to try any. Harry used Sirius' gift for a year of free sweets. Hermione though, being a daughter of two dentists, was a bit worried about eating sweets. Ron took the moment to inform them that even if she lost a tooth, she could just take Skele-gro to grow back. Hermione gave in and tried some Pepper Imps.

Varix took that chance to also get some sweets of her own. Mostly she seemed to really fancy the chocolate frogs. They were always her go to sweet.

After that, they decided to check at the Three Broomsticks Inn. The three got to sample Madam Rosemerta's personal brew of Butterbeer which was a lot like warm butterscotch, but not as strong in flavor. It was also very smooth while going down. Now, while Harry did like it, it wasn't something that he found that he would have all the time. Kind of like pumpkin juice, he didn't like that that much either.

After finishing that off, Harry went and got himself a pint of Gillywater with a splash of cherry syrup. Needless to say, he really liked it and ended up getting two others for Ron and Hermione.

Overall, their time in Hogsmeade was well spent and Harry was definitely looking forward to coming back.

* * *

They returned to the castle in time for dinner. Everyone was excited. Students were rushing about, showing their new purchases. Little first and second years passing Sickles to their older classmates in return for getting sweets from Honeydukes. Generally, everyone was in a good mood.

As it was Hallowe'en, the Great Hall was decked out in bright, festive decorations. As usual, Hagrid's charmed pumpkins rested all around the room and some of the smaller ones floated above the tables. All of them were carved expertly and holding candles. Since there were no actual candles above the tables this time, only the jack o' lanterns gave the hall light. All of the tables were covered with dark orange cloths and all of the ghosts were present. While the decor was nice, it was the creepiest Hallowe'en setting that Harry had ever witnessed.

Of course the tables were filled with sweets. More sweets than just what the students who got to go to Hogsmeade had purchased. All sorts of things. Ron indulged himself and Hermione merely sipped from a goblet of pumpkin juice.

Everyone generally enjoyed themselves, even going so far as to forget about the whole Bellatrix Lestrange business.

After the feast, the students all went their separate ways. The Gryffindors traveled all the way up to the 7th floor, but when they reached the corridor that the Fat Lady resided in, they couldn't actually get to the portrait. Students were blocking the way and as most of the older ones were further up front, their heights made it difficult to see past them.

Ron, who was taller than both Harry and Hermione, stretched up on the tips of his toes to try and get a look over the crowd. "The portrait looks to be closed."

Hermione quickly pulled on Harry's coat, yanking him out of the way of Percy who was practically stomping through the very long line of students. He was yelling and demanding for people to move aside and constantly reminding people that he was the Head Boy.

Within seconds, all the noise of the students completely drowned away into silence. Percy's voice could be heard traveling through the corridor. "Can one of the portraits please get the Headmistress?"

A few moments later, McGonagall and Snape came upon them. Everyone squished together in order to let them pass. Hermione was looking vaguely worried and Ron seemed a bit grumpy. Harry just wanted to be able to get some sleep.

Of course with everyone moving out of the way, the three were able to finally get a good look at what had everybody so worried. The Fat Lady was gone from her portrait. And normally that wouldn't be anything shocking because the portraits could all move into each other's portraits and go visit friends. The reason this is such a big deal was because her portrait was completely torn from top left to bottom right.

"We need to find her," stated McGonagall. She looked around at all the other portraits and asked, "Did any of you see anything?"

There was a low mumbling and McGonagall turned to the Gryffindors and said, "Everyone return to the Great Hall immediately. No one will be going into the dormitory until it has been searched. Severus, I need you to help round up the rest of the students. I want them in the Great Hall, we need to lock down the school."

Percy, as Head Boy, asserted himself above all the other students and demanded that they all form a single file line and head straight back down to the Great Hall. On the way down, Harry swore he heard one of the oldest students say that Bellatrix Lestrange had tried to break into the tower.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been situated in large sleeping bags in the Great Hall. Hermione was laid between them to protect her from anyone who tried to get too personal. In front of Harry was a blond Ravenclaw and on his other side was Neville.

Neville was basically having a panic attack. Harry didn't really know much about the whole problem involving Bellatrix Lestrange and Neville Longbottom, so it wasn't like he could help his friend get through whatever kind of fear he had. The best he could do, was to try and not draw attention to the situation. So even though Bellatrix Lestrange had tried to break into Gryffindor tower, it wasn't a certain fact that she was after Neville.

"You know, it's not what you think it is."

The Gryffindor trio plus Neville looked toward the little blonde girl in front of them. The Ravenclaw. She was staring at them with open kindness. She also looked a little crazy but Harry wasn't going to judge. Although, the distinctive dottiness surrounding her did not help her at all.

"Huh?" was Ron's incredibly intelligent reply.

"Death is not in your future. Well, not in the negative way."

She was staring at Neville, who looked just as confused as Hermione and Ron did. He blinked once, twice, thrice, before giving a very slow nod and muttering his gratitude.

The young Ravenclaw then fixed Harry with her dotty gaze. "The warrior does not seek to kill you. Your existence matters not to them."

"Thanks?"

The girl hummed and buried herself and her sleeping bag. The Gryffindors traded looks of confusion and decided to go back to what they were doing before she spoke up. Speculating on how long that they'd be stuck in the Great Hall.

"So, you think Bellatrix Lestrange is still in the school?" Ron asked.

Neville let out a very terrified squeak, and Harry shrugged. "I can't even begin to- Hang on!" he rolled over onto his stomach, thrusting his arm out and bringing his watch close to his mouth. He whispered, "Varix, I wish that Bellatrix Lestrange cannot enter Hogwarts in any way."

The fairy cackled, "You are getting better at this."

_Snap._

"It's been done."

Harry looked to Neville, "She can't get in the castle now, Nev."

The teen breathed out slowly, " _Okay_."

As the night wore on, Harry stayed up in order to keep an eye on Percy, who patrolled around the edges of the students. McGonagall and Snape came in hours later, explaining that there was no sign of Bellatrix anywhere and that the students would be able to return to their dorms the next day. Harry was curious to know who was going to be guarding the Gryffindor entrance.

Harry dipped into sleep, the starry ceiling of the Great Hall was the last thing he saw.

* * *

The next day, Harry found himself once again sitting beside Tom at the breakfast table. Tom looked worried and a little crazed, his eyes darting back and forth constantly and pausing to check on Harry, before starting around again. When questioned, he mentioned that he was uneasy at the thought of the former Dark Lord's most loyal follower out of prison and possibly searching for Harry. So basically, Tom was acting all weird because he was worried for Harry's safety. The amount of warmth that just seemed to fill his stomach when he learned this information, could probably spark a flame. Tom cared.

Harry was so elated by this news that he didn't even care that Hermione was sending him a very smug look. He did not know what the look was for and he really didn't care because he was too wrapped up in the thought of Tom and his feelings.

Harry had afternoon Quidditch practice that day and he _needed_ to be at the practice. However, he found out that McGonagall was considering withdrawing him from the Quidditch team for the year just to be on the safe side. She was willing to risk Gryffindor losing the Quidditch Cup all because there could possibly be some crazy Death Eater out for his life.

Harry had caught her at the end of breakfast, practically begging her to let him stay on the Quidditch team. He did not want to stop playing Quidditch, because it was fun and he really like the ramming Malfoy into the ground part. But also he just really wanted to Gryffindor to win the House Cup and every Quidditch match they won earned them 150 Points toward the cup.

The woman had looked skeptical. She stared him down as the students filed out of the Great Hall. Her mouth tightened and she was slightly glaring at him. "You would risk your own health for a game?"

"It is more than just a game. I don't want to lose my freedom of movement simply because my life may be in danger.

If we were to be objective about all of this, my life is technically in danger all the time. All of the Death Eaters that weren't convicted are a danger to me. Voldemort is out there somewhere and he is a danger to me. And if I live my life in constant worry over whether I'm in danger or not, then I will never actually live."

She stood still, staring down at him and from the look on her face she was wondering if he had gone mad. But he made a good point and he was hoping beyond all hope that her love for everything Gryffindor would take over and that she simply wanted to win the House Cup more then constantly worrying over her lions.

A few seconds later, she gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. But Madam Hooch will have to supervise every practice you have."

Harry was extremely glad that he had managed to win an argument with McGonagall of all people. That meant that he deserved a reward.

Classes passed fast that day and the Gryffindor Team was dragged out to the Quidditch Pitch for extra training and Madam Hooch supervised like McGonagall had wanted her to. It seemed that Oliver was spastic over the upcoming game with Slytherin. Though he wasn't worried that Harry would get the Snitch, he was worried over foul play which would land players in the Hospital Wing and render them unable for the rest of the game. So if they wanted to win, they had to do it quickly. For some reason, the Slytherins felt they could only win if they cheated. That meant a severe lack of faith in their skills as Quidditch players. Meaning they weren't that good.

It must have been the parent's doing. All those aristocratic expectations placed on their kids that said kids didn't have any time to play games the right way.

Harry was prepared to play and win.

After the Fat Lady's portrait had been desecrated, nobody wanted to take the post as the guardian of Gryffindor tower. Nobody except Sir Codagan. He was a medieval knight, with strange speech patterns and a tendency to change the bloody password at least three times a day. Neville had taken to writing down the passwords because he couldn't remember all of them. And it wasn't like they could get just one simple word as a password. _No_ , Sir Codagan decided that they needed long phrases that made absolutely no sense.

Apparently he was the only one brave enough to volunteer. It was terrible.

On top of that, both he and Neville seemed to have an entire league of people following them everywhere. Not only did Harry have Varix with him at all times, but Snape seemed to appear out of nowhere, and Lupin was equally looking out for him. Professor sprout tailed Neville on a constant basis and Flitwick had cast a lot of charms on both boys to make sure that they were safe.

It was nice that all these people cared about their well-being, but being stalked every minute of every day was becoming a nuisance. It wasn't like Bellatrix Lestrange could get into Hogwarts now. Varix had made sure that the school was blocked from her entry. So she couldn't actively get inside the building, which meant that they shouldn't need guards everywhere they went.

And on top of it all, Tom had become very protective. Not that Harry _that_ minded all that much.

* * *

Varix head already informed the Headmistress of the wish that Harry had made Halloween night. The old woman had been relieved, but in no way did she relent in the protective measures she had put up for both Harry and Neville. Their safety was of the utmost importance and she was not the kind to be neglectful to her students.

"What sort of protective measures have you put up against Bellatrix getting inside? You know, besides me forbidding her entrance?"

There had been a teacher's meeting on the 1st of November and Varix had decided to pop in just because she could. She also wanted to know what kinds of things they were doing to keep the students safe. Other than the Dementors, they didn't really have much else they could do without conflicting with other wards on the castle.

"Well, does anyone know if she's an Animagus? Because no one would be able to catch her if she is an animal. Dementors can't feel animals."

McGonagall gave a sigh, "She was never registered at the ministry."

Varick send the old which I look, "Do you know a good portion of witches and wizards never inform their Ministry when they become Animagi? In fact, a lot of your former students were Animagi and were never registered. In fact, I know about nearly everyone but you in this room is an Animagi that has not been registered."

Minerva looked around and her colleagues, all of whom were not looking at her at all. She gave another sigh. "If I were to block all use of magic within Hogwarts, none of us would be able to do it either. It's already bad enough that we cannot Apparate within the school. Even as the Headmistress I cannot do so. But we can't risk any possible enemies getting in and harming the children."

Snape was busy glaring at the table. "Bellatrix is smart. Even if she cannot physically get into the castle, she will do everything she can to get a hold of whoever she is trying to get to. She wasn't so mad all those years ago, but that long in Azkaban with the Dementors can really change somebody. Even for a Black, there were things that she would not dare to do when it came to Dark Magic. However, with her current state of mind, I would not be shocked if she were to venture into even Darker Magics.

You should never underestimate her. There are rituals. Spells. And she was trained by the Dark Lord personally. She knows things that the other Death Eaters did not dare to imagine. Who weren't worthy enough to know. Just look at how she managed to escape the prison that was said to be impregnable."

Varix had to agree, though his stance on Dark Magic could use some tutelage.

The other professors had to nod along with him. Bellatrix was very skilled.

McGonagall looked to Varix, and asked, "Could you possibly place anti-summoning charms on the children?"

"Yeah. However, the enchantments themselves would be much more powerful if Harry were to make the wish for it instead. Wishes always make a fairy godparent's magic more powerful. I'll talk to him in the morning."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

* * *

Harry readily made the wish. Anything to better protect the students of Hogwarts from any dangers. Also, the reassurance that it gave Neville made him happy. Poor Neville seemed to lose his mind every time the topic of Bellatrix Lestrange came up. He really wanted to ask what exactly about the woman frightened him, but he didn't want to bring it up more. The poor teenager had been walking on eggshells ever since the beginning of school. He didn't need more drama.

However, Tom seemed to be the one with the answer.

"Neville Longbottom's parents were tortured into insanity with the Cruciatus Curse. It's one of the Unforgivable Curses alongside The Killing Curse which you survived, and the Imperius Curse. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, his brother, and their friend Barty Crouch Jr., were found at the home of Alice and Frank Longbottom. It was how they were caught and sent to Azkaban. The Longbottoms currently reside at St. Mungo's, in the Janus Thickey Ward and will most likely never come out. No cure has been discovered for effects of the Cruciatus yet."

So that was why Neville constantly talked about his gran and no one else. Because she was all he had. Apparently he grew up with her.

Very sad, because this was not something that he would have imagined. And he felt bad that Neville's the family had to suffer.

"Tom, why do wizards come up with such horrible things?" he asked, hating how it all sounded.

Tom was pensive for a few moments, before he finally responded. "These three curses weren't created with killing and torture in mind. The Killing Curse had originally been a spell used by healers and farmers. If one of the patients or animals was beyond aid and were already dying and in too much pain, the Killing Curse would be used to end their suffering. Also, it's a much faster way to harvest meat without all the blood getting everywhere and the animals causing a ruckus. The Killing Curse is still used by farmers and healers to this day, because the curse was just a spell created for healers to use and it's application spread.

Sometimes, wizards can get lost. The human mind is a fragile thing and unlike with creatures, it is weak. When people try to learn Occlumency, if they aren't part creature or have a guise, they usually have a difficult time with it. Sometimes, people get lost in their minds when they are trying to learn and they need a sudden jolt of pain to bring them back to reality. Sometimes, a person's heart will stop, but if shocked with a lot of pain, it can be restarted. That was the original purpose of the Cruciatus Curse.

The power of the Imperius Curse is like mind control. It is forcing your will upon another. And just like the other two curses, this was also made with healers in mind. Sometimes, there are people who need help, but don't want it. Sometimes they will fight tooth and nail to make sure they don't have to do things. And sometimes, because they cannot take care of themselves, somebody else has to do it for them. The Imperius was designed to help unruly patients do what they need to do. Such as cleanse themselves, eat food that they really don't want to eat, sit silently, take potions, and so many other things.

Now, the British Ministry is filled with a bunch of fools. And the reason that these three spells have been labeled as curses and are considered illegal, is because apparently they're _evil_. What makes people think they're evil is the fact that if they are powered by extremely strong emotions such as hatred or anger, these spells can have disastrous effects on the caster and those on the receiving end. If filled with hatred, the subject will find the curse to be extremely painful. If you cast with hatred, it will allow the person who is being controlled to understand everything that's going on around them, but have no power over anything they are doing. It is like a mild form of torture or so the books say. The Killing Curse... this kills no matter what. It is painless no matter how much Dark wizards have tried to change that fact.

I'd also like to point out something.

All magic is stronger when accompanied by strong emotions. The Ministry of Magical Britain simply does not want you to realize this. And another thing, these 'curses' are legal to use in every other country but the United States of America and the British Isles."

Harry and Tom were once again sitting at a table in the library. Tom was reading a book and Harry was frowning at the table. It was nice that he was able to fill him in on all the things that he didn't know, but it was horrible to know that people had no problem in using spells that were once meant to _help_ people in order to hurt people. It just seemed that it was apparently human nature to always ruin everything that one came across.

"How have your classes been going?" Tom asked suddenly and Harry saw it for what it was. A way out of an uncomfortable situation. He took it gladly.

"Really good!" he gushed, prepared to explain everything he'd learned in his Runes class.

"Yeah, kid's been doing good," Varix said, appearing in the seat on the other side of the table. Her legs were thrown up onto the table, ankles folded. IN her hands, was a jar of something brown and she was dipping a spoon inside and licking it clean.

"Seriously, he's the best in his class!" she gushed.

"What's that?" Harry asked, nodding toward the jar.

She licked the spoon again. "Nutella. Wanna try it?"

"Sure?"

Harry was magical holding a spoon in the next second and he eyed the oddly colored stuff on it.

It was disgusting!

"Hey! Don't waste perfectly good Nutella!"

"It's gross!"

She gasped, hand flying to her heart, a look of horror coming over her face.

"You don't like _Nutella_?"

"No."

She stood up, looking affronted.

"If you don't like Nutella, I can't trust you!"

She turned her nose up and flew from the room, grumbling about how he had 'betrayed her' and how she didn't know what to do with her life anymore.

There was silenced for the space of a moment, before Tom managed to sum things up perfectly.

"I can't believe she's the adult in your relationship."

"Don't I know it."

* * *

**A/N: Another is done.**

**How was it? Let em know.**

**Check out my other fics.**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Harry's finally using his brain!
> 
> -All the shops I listed in Hogsmeade are real shops there.
> 
> -All drinks and sweets are real too.
> 
> Varix - who I modeled after Lilly Singh - likes Nutella. Lilly Singh loves Nutella and has been caught frequently saying that if you don't like Nutella then she cannot trust you. ^-^


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start coming to a head!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I APOLOGIZE! THIS CHAPTER WAS FINISHED MONTHS AGO AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN POSTED SOME TIME IN MID-JANUARY!
> 
> But I'm lazy. 
> 
> *Quick Note* Remember that Magical Britain still thinks Gilderoy is alive. In reality, Varix is pretending to be him until the right moment.
> 
> Poor Bella.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

"I have to make my own wheel of runes," Harry explained to Tom as they sat for breakfast. "Everyone has to make a magical runic circle that will promote something. I've already chosen to promote peace and have begun linking Gebo and Wunjo with Jera and Sowilo. The wood we are using need to compliment the various runes. So as I'm using four runes, I need four strips of different wood. Oak, Bay, Elm, and Ash.

Now there are many applications to making a magical runic circle. And as you probably know, magical runic circles aren't actually circular or necessarily have to be. There are many possible ways to enhance the magic in the circle, so long as you carve your runes correctly and apply the correct amount of magic, the circle will work."

"And judging from the runes you have chosen and the woods they are identified with, you intend to create something that successfully calms and brings joy, correct?" Tom asked, a look on interest on his face as he plated himself some mash.

Harry grinned, excited to have someone other than Hermione to talk to about his passion. "Yes! It's for Neville, so he'll feel better."

"That is very kind of you."

Harry ducked his head, a flush working its way over his face. "Not really. I just don't want him to be so worried all the time."

Harry began to get his own food, ignoring the snickering of Hermione as she tried to eat and do homework at the same time. Ron, who was stuffing his face like he'd never eaten before, was still complaining about her schedule.

"It's all been sorted, Ronald. Don't worry."

"But you're tired all the time. You get lost, your forget stuff, your bag is so full it's broken three times already. You can't handle all of it Hermione, it's going to kill you."

She merely sniffed and continued her work. Ron huffed and kept eating.

As it was breakfast and very early in the morning, Harry wasn't expecting to have a familiar owl drop down beside him, holding a letter. Hedwig greeted him with a bump on the head, placing the letter beside his plate.

He greeted her warmly, already handing over a piece of turkey. She nibbled his finger affectionately, snapping it down and preening her feathers for a few seconds.

"Thanks, Hedwig."

She barked once, before taking flight, leaving him with a letter from Sirius. He eyed it warily, since all recent letters from Sirius had some sort of gift inside and he didn't want another one, but he didn't want to be rude and tell the man to stop doing what was making him happy. Which was making up for years of lost time, it appeared.

There was a small pop and he looked up to see Varix sitting on the other side of the table, eyeing the piece of mail like it was some kind of demon that had to be eliminated. Harry clutched the parchment a little closer, protective against it. He knew that Sirius and Varix didn't seem to like each other, though not because they thought the other was a danger to Harry. It was something personal that neither thought to bring up in front of him so he wasn't going to pry.

"What's he want this time?"

Harry glanced at the letter, taking in the words carefully. "Just asking how I'm doing and asking for a perfect play-by-play of the match tomorrow. Sirius always did love to hear about when Slytherin lost, apparently."

She sneered a bit, but nodded. "You'll win obviously. At least if they keep the blond brat on the team you'll always win."

"Hey, Malfoy has lived a very privileged life. He was probably taught how to fly by a special tutor who handled the broom for him the whole time and who made sure the Snitch always flew into his hand. He's not used to not cheating. Blame his parents for that, they coddled him too much."

Tom snickered, "I've often heard him threaten to tell his father everything that goes on within these halls. Of course he has no proof and since most of the other Slytherins aren't standing up for him these days, his accusations against me and many others will fall short."

Harry scoffed, "Of course they won't take his side. In the last three years he's been an embarrassment to the House of Slytherin and I highly doubt that someone like Marcus Flint is going to bow to a wimpy, little third year.

Also, from what I've read, the Flints are British born and have been Pureblooded for five centuries. The Malfoys came from France two hundred years ago and aren't as old or pure. The Malfoy House is only Noble. The Flint House is Most Noble, putting them _above_ the Malfoys."

Hermione looked interested, putting down her quill in order to lean over the table. "There are levels to the hierarchy of the sophisticated in the wizarding world?"

Harry looked to Varix, who wasn't busy eating and could actually answer questions.

The fairy stretched her arms before shifting on the bench to face Hermione.

And so went the lesson on noble families of Britain.

"So then Harry is of a Most Ancient and Noble House because his family is almost a thousand years old and was pure until his birth?"

"Exactly."

"Do you know where I can find books on this?"

"Probably that Tomes and Scrolls place in Hogsmeade. Older manuscripts would be your best bet because everything else resides in the personal libraries of those _noble_ families."

Hermione looked hungered for information and Harry knew what she was going to do during their next trip to the quaint little village.

* * *

Harry's magical runic circle was accepted with excitement. He received the best grade among his class, Hermione close behind him.

Professor Babbling asked what the circle - which had been woven into a bracelet - was for. He explained Neville's problem, just the basics, but she understood and allowed him to have it back.

He presented it to Neville during their next class which was Transfiguration.

"This will keep you calm. It's unhealthy to take so many calming draughts. Your body will get used to them and then soon they'll be equated as a poison and could hurt you in the long run."

The shy boy smiled shakily, but accepted the gift. Harry noticed the moment the runes set to work. Every time Neville looked ready to overwork himself, the runes would glow blue and he'd lose all tension in his body.

It also worked in Potions.

Neville was terrified of Snape but his fear and worry were calmed and he was able to make a passable potion. Passable by Harry's standards. A **Poor** by Snape's but compared to how Neville usually did - which was an unfinished potion because it usually exploded - it was a much better improvement.

On Saturday would be the first Quidditch match of the season. Slytherin vs Gryffindor. It was raining, hard enough that the Quidditch players would require extra protection. Everyone was wearing goggles that were charmed to repel water. Specifically made for rough weather conditions during Quidditch. Harry had done his part by casting heating charms on everyone on his team. He'd recently learned them thanks to Varix.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team stood in the dank, dark, locker room, listening to howling of the wind outside. Oliver was pacing up their positions, making sure they were all situated correctly so that they flew out at the correct intervals. Harry at was the very back, best for last according to the Keeper.

Upon Oliver's order, Harry was not to catch the Snitch until Gryffindor was one hundred points ahead. It would give them a better chance to win the Cup. Though they had won the last year, Oliver seemed to really need to win this one as well. It was his last year in Hogwarts after all.

Through the ragged, wooden walls, they could hear the chants of the students just barely drowning out the random rumbles of thunder and cracks of lightening. Most definitely the Gryffindors and probably some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in there as well.

"LET'S GO GRYFFINDOR! LET'S GO GRYFFINDOR! LET'S GO GRYFFINDOR!"

 **BOOM** , came the thunder.

Fred and George were already waving their clubs to the beat of the chanting. They sent Harry a simultaneous wink.

The door raised slowly and Oliver flew out first, followed by Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. Then Fred and George and finally Harry. Lee Jordan, the commentator for every match, announced their arrival into the Pitch and labeled them as 'the best team Hogwarts has seen in the last few years.'. The stands of red and gold erupted in applause and shouts of encouragement.

Harry soared around the Gryffindor hoops, before flying higher. His Quidditch robes were already soaked through.

Varix was sitting among the staff, next to Snape of all people. She waved to him as he flew by.

Lee was announcing the Slytherin Team, the green and silver students cheered loudly, though were drowned out by the groans of the other students. Harry wasn't shocked that Malfoy decided to come over and bother him. As a Quidditch player, Malfoy was so bad that he needed help to win. Therefore, he rode on Harry's robe tails for every game because he knew that he wasn't good enough to spot the Snitch on his own. It was annoying, which was why Harry planned on using the Wronski Feint on him again.

"Scared the Dementors are going to come after you, Potter?!" taunted the blond.

Harry turned to give the blond pestilence a smirk, "Not really, but if they do you may be caught in the crossfire, seeing as you're practically in my lap."

Not really true. Malfoy was beside his lap. Beside enough that his right knee was touching Harry's left knee. The blond sputtered, looking around to see if some Dementors were near.

"You idiot, they can't come into the grounds, McGonagall said so," Harry sneered.

The Slytherin didn't respond, he simply followed Harry to the starting point where Madam Hooch was about to begin the game. The players circled each other, the Chasers ready to battle. The Bludgers were released into the sky and Harry wondered how they were going to see them coming with such overcast skies. A small glint of gold flew into the sky and Harry realized, sinking feeling in his stomach, that it was going to be difficult to find.

The Quaffle was held aloft and thrown upward. Harry ascended instantly, getting out of the way of the kerfuffle the Chasers were about to get into. The Slytherins had to cheat to get any sort of chance at winning, so no doubt someone would get kicked in the kidney.

He heard the blowing of Madam Hooch's whistle and Lee Jordan announce that Slytherin had fouled. Already so early in the game. He wasn't shocked.

Harry and Malfoy returned to the sky, though Harry was mindful of the flashes of lightening in the distance. He'd barely counted through one rep of _one-two-three_ when the thunder followed. Basically, they were right in the heart of the storm and there was a chance that any of them could be struck by lightning. Hermione said it was attracted to the highest things in the area and flying brooms... well... danger, danger.

Harry felt the sudden need to dive and did so, noting minutely that Malfoy had followed his movements. From behind him, he could hear the crack of the lightning and when he glanced back, he could see the top of the teacher's stand was on fire and missing its Ravenclaw cloth.

He'd been that close to getting hit! Not good!

Malfoy had not taken it well. Not in the least. "My father will hear about this!"

Harry narrowly missed another stand, lowering himself so he wasn't as high as it was. "Your father doesn't need to hear about it from you, he was in the stands next to Snape. He nearly got hit as well!" Harry yelled back.

Everything that happened in Malfoy's life just had to be told to his father. Harry briefly wondered how Malfoy would deal with married life every time something didn't go his way. Would he tell his father or his spouse? And if his father or spouse was the one behind the issue, who would he tell then?

Shaking himself from his musings, Harry placed his attentions back on the game. Gryffindor had already scored fifty points, putting them forty over Slytherin. He figured he might as well begin searching for the Snitch as it may take longer than he had formerly anticipated thanks to the dreary weather.

For several minutes his head turned back and forth, searching the Pitch. But then… a disturbing thought entered his mind and he craned his neck upward to look into the clouds. Sure enough, his hunch had been correct. The Snitch had decided to reside in the most difficult place imaginable. Up in the bloody clouds.

There was another flash of lightning and Harry looked on in reluctance, not wanting to put his life in danger simply for a game of Quidditch. Malfoy obviously felt the same way because he too was looking up into the sky but he hadn't moved at all. He wasn't even making snarky remarks on Harry's lack of bravery.

Lee Jordan's voice filled the Pitch, "ANOTHER GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR! THIS LEAVES THE SCORE IN FAVOR OF THE LIONS AT 120/30!"

Harry groaned, knowing that this was the time to catch the Snitch.

Angling his broom upward, he shot off, much to the annoyance of Malfoy, who yelled at him.

The winds whipped past them. The Snitch, obviously sensing their nearing, shot into the clouds, which would surely block them from the view of the stands.

Harry leaned against his broom, urging it to go faster. As he was much smaller than Malfoy - something he usually wasn't so very proud of - he was able to maneuver on a broom better. His flying skill was much better and it made his turning ratio better.

The Snitch dove suddenly and Harry followed along, streaking down in a vision of red and gold.

A very feminine shriek alerted him to some kind of issue. He glanced back, only for a second, to see a dark figure converging on Malfoy. Dementor.

His body ran cold instantly and he knew… knew they were getting near. He could just imagine Varix's reaction. She'd be livid.

He tore after the Snitch, knowing that he'd have to catch it now or never. Black forms flew into view and he narrowly dodged them, still attempting though in vain it seemed - catch the flying, gold ball. The hilt of his broom began to freeze over.

It was right there. Right within his grasp.

Something knocked him forward, enough for him to grab the Snitch, but also to knock him off his broom.

Harry's screamed, loud and long as he dropped. A small amount of worry for his broom had filled him, but he was also wary of the oncoming ground. Screams from the students reached him as he finally parted through the clouds and came into view.

He shivered, screaming the first thing that came to mind. "I WISH THE DEMENTORS WERE GONE!"

A various amount of _pops_ sounded and he was relieved to see the black masses disappearing from his line of vision, making the coast clear. Now all he had to do was stop falling.

With as much concentration as he could must, Harry withdrew his wand and cast, " _Arresto Momentum_!"

His falling slowed instensly and two dark arms wrapped around his middle, hauling him up. They were floating several feet off the ground now and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"I wish I had my Nimbus 2001 in my left hand."

 _Pop_.

And now he was holding his drenched broom.

There was a clamour of yelling students, Lee Jordan's frantic cries of Gryffindor winning the game, and the thunder and lightning, filled the cold air of the Pitch.

"You okay, kid?" came Varix's relieved voice.

" _Yeah_. _Thanks_."

Harry was placed on the ground where his teammates assaulted him with well wishes and hugs of all kinds. And who could forget Oliver's joyous greeting? Harry was pulled into a very memorable kiss, flustered to realize that people were staring. People who weren't members of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. People who weren't used to it.

Dear Merlin.

And out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Varix standing beside Tom of all people, looking far too happy for Harry's own good. Tom though looked furious, for some unknown reason.

* * *

Varix was grinning. It seemed that the universe was working in her favor to annoy the crap out of Tom Riddle. The tall brunet glared at Oliver Wood like he was a threat. If only he'd seen a picture of William Weasley, he'd realize that in the chances of winning over Harry's heart, Oliver had the least.

"He does this _every_ game," she told the new-born teenager.

A permanent twitch seemed to develop under Tom's left eye.

"Who is _that_?" Tom asked, voice tight as a drawn bow string.

"That's Oliver Wood. He's a seventh year who's in line for professional Quidditch next year. Pureblood, good grades, and an all around nice guy. Harry just _adores_ him."

"You're trying to rile me up and it won't work," Tom sneered.

"And yet the object of your current, fuming hatred is mackin' on my kid and _you_ are not."

Varix patted his shoulder condescendingly. "Well, Bill and Oliver are much _older_ than Harry. You might have a chance."

She floated away, neglecting to inform him that he was currently the only person in the world with a chance at Harry. She was going to make Tom's courtship long and arduous. He'd suffer!

With that form of entertainment filling her up with glee, she made her way through the castle, intent on bothering Snape and living up to her promise of handing over the blackmail she'd gotten on him. He had helped her after all.

He was alone, grading papers. She summoned a chair for herself and sat, slipping the photo across the table. He glanced up for a second, before snatching it up and burning it immediately, no wand even needed.

"What do you want now?"

"I just prefer to spend time with you. The Gryffindors are most likely going to be partying and they get loud and annoying so I'm just going to chill with you if that's okay?"

"You'd remain here whether I'd like you to or not so I do not fathom why you would even ask for my opinion."

"You're right," she agreed, already making herself comfortable. "I'm just going to sit here and bounce ideas and thoughts off you."

She leaned back and began divulging.

"So, Cadmus Slytherin has a crush on my kid and does not know that Harry fancies him back. I'm given permission for him to 'court' my kid so to speak, but I've decided to make it as difficult as possible!" she grinned, reveling in her genius.

Snape had paused in his grading when she mentioned Tom, and slowly placed the quill in the inkwell until further notice. His dark eyes were obviously telling her that she was crazy.

"You are allowing a sixteen year old boy to court your thirteen year old godson?" he stated more than asked, looking baffled.

"As I have told Harry, time between our realms is different. I've been to the year 2017. I already know stuff, which is why I allow certain things to happen and others to not. But just because I know end results doesn't mean I'm gonna make it easy, oh no. He'll work for it!"

She was laughing again. "And the boy thinks he has Oliver Wood and William Weasley as competition! He's so annoyed! It's beautiful to see him get all jealous and flustered. I haven't told him about Bill's proclivities or Oliver's plans for his future. So he's just walking around, fuming over how to one up two men much older than him!"

Varix laughed like a loon because it was fun to mess with people.

"Are you _mad_?"

"No, just a little odd."

"Angering that boy is not in your best interest."

Varix smirked, "Severus, I hold one thousand years over that boy's head. I could snuff him easily. And he knows very well that I am what stands between him and Harry and getting on my bad side isn't smart."

The dour professor huffed, "I still think it is foolish."

"But you think everything is foolish!"

" _Hm_."

* * *

Harry arrived at breakfast the next morning to find Seamus Finnegan reading the Daily Prophet to a large group of students. Upon seeing Harry, he called for the teen's attention and began rereading.

**LOCKHART AND LESTRANGE: MAD DUO OR CONVENIENT MEETING?**

_**Dothtown is a small wizard/muggle settlement about ten miles from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Late Friday evening, both escaped convict, Bellatrix Lestrange and wanted man, Gilderoy Lockhart, were spotted by a small group of witches - identities withheld for personal reasons - and were said to be conversing with each other before a fight somehow broke out between them, taking the small pub they were in to the ground!** _

_**The duo departed form the wrecked establishment post haste, but not before sneering words of promise to each other. A promise that 'this isn't over'.** _

_**No one knows what to expect from them but I warn you know, magical Britain, it's can't be anything good.** _

_**As always, Mrorick Morginkkenon, special correspondant to the Daily Prophet.** _

_**For more on Bellatrix Lestrange… see page 2A.** _

_**For more on Gilderoy Lockhart… see page 2B.** _

Harry frowned but took the information in stride and continued on to his breakfast. Everyone else seemed to be worried.

"I don't know why you are so scared. Remember how Lockhart couldn't teach us anything and how Snape put him on his back with a simple disarming charm?" he told them all while buttering some toast. "Lockhart isn't a threat. And Lestrange can't get inside the castle, Varix made sure of it when I wished and no offence, but fairy magic beats witch magic easily."

His words did calm some of them down and Neville of all people was looking not as worried since he'd begun wearing Harry's gift, but he could see the tension lingering.

Tom was sitting down beside him, staring at Seamus who was excited to have all the attention be on him and was re-reading the story for the fifth time, adding new inflection to each word.

"It's isn't smart to ignore possible danger simply because your fairy godmother might be there to protect you."

"But Varix is strong and old...ish. She's not going to be beaten by Bellatrix. Besides, she made the Dementors go away when I asked and we haven't seen any since."

"True, but she won't always be there for you and you need to learn to defend yourself."

Harry pouted, "I can't use Elf Magic to destroy Dementors."

"You don't have to. The Patronus Charm is good enough."

"Huh?"

"It wards off Dementors. You'll need to learn it soon because the Dementors will be back sooner or later and you can't rely on others to save you, even _if_ we want to protect you."

"Who's going to teach me? I highly doubt Professor Flitwick has time to set aside to teach me a charm?"

Tom chewed on his toast for a moment. "You could ask your fairy, though I'm not sure she can do it. It's incredibly, powerful, Light Magic and not many can even manage it let alone a corporeal Patronus."

"Can you do one?"

Tom sighed almost regretfully. "Alas, I cannot. It must be powered with happiness, usually from the best memory you can think of. I don't really have happy memories or much happiness to remember, so trying to cast one would be a lost cause for me."

Harry frowned as well, "It's not like _I'm_ floating in great memories. The best I have are from recently and they're all thanks to Varix."

"It doesn't hurt to try."

"Will you try with me?" Harry asked, sounding oh so hopeful that Tom would agree so they could hang out. He added a few extra cute blinks for good measure.

Tom stared for the better part of a minute, before giving a slow, reluctant nod.

Harry beamed.

Tom was left to his thoughts on how he'd been tricked into accepting training in Light Magic.

* * *

" _Lockhart_?"

Varix shrugged at the accusing tone Tom used.

"What do you want me to do? They have to believe that the fool is still at large, you know. Besides, I got a good talk out of Bellatrix Lestrange."

Tom leaned against the wall of the unused classroom, fixing her with a searching stare. "So, what happened?"

Varix sighed, the past coming to her as easily as always.

_It was dark, raining slightly. The temperature was dropping as the night wore on. Saturday would be horrible if the weather persisted._

_Varix - disguised as Gilderoy Lockhart - walked into the small, seedy pub in Dothtown. She already spotted two wanted criminals and knew that this was the kind of place to be seen in._

_What she hadn't expected upon ordering a pint of ale, was to see one Bellatrix Lestrange coming out of a back room. The woman looked rough, but decidedly less insane than the photos in the papers made her out to be. In fact, she seemed rather fine. Much like Sirius. Perhaps her mental illnesses came from other issues and not Dementors._

_She watched the woman take a seat at the bar and order some of Ogden's Firewhiskey. Her hair was all over the place in a mess of black curls that reached well past her waist. Her skin pale, gaunt mostly. She was reed thin, undernourishment from Azkaban obvious in her declining health. She was rather tall as well and no, she wasn't wearing heels._

_The woman took her glass of alcohol in one shocking gulp, managing only a small flame when it came back up. It showed tolerance. People usually were breathing fire for several seconds after consuming that much, but not this woman._

_She turned to Varix, stormy, grey eyes full of the madness her family was so well known for. "What are you looking at, pretty boy?"_

_Her voice was high and slightly... scratchy? Rough from lack of use most likely._

_"Is it true that you're after Harry Potter?"_

_Why not start big?_

_Bellatrix obviously wasn't expecting that because her face blanked instantly and then a look of confusion pulled over. "No, I want Longbottom," she said simply, as if questioning her intelligence._

_"The papers say you're after him to finish what your master started."_

_The woman looked truly confused now._

_"No, I want Longbottom. He's mine and I want him, but the castle won't let me in now!"_

_She sounded petulant, as if whining over the fact that Varix's unknown magic was preventing her entrance._

_"Why the Longbottom brat? I taught him and he wasn't much to look at." Neville was actually a really sweet kid, but if one was just meeting him, he didn't seem like much._

_Bellatrix Lestrange turned on her like a viper, nostrils flaring dangerously. "That boy is a Pureblood of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. He is an orphan whose parents were ruined by my foolish husband and his idiotic brother and their daft friend. He was to be my new son. My present for losing my own child! And I will not have you bad mouthing my new child!"_

_Her magic lashed out instantly, making various mirrors and glasses all over the room, shatter. Shouts of fear and worry filled the room as people backed away from the bar where Bellatrix stood over Varix's transformed form, looking like she was about to rip out someone's - probably Varix's - spleen._

_Varix was on her feet immediately, hands raised as if to placate the woman, though it did nothing now that she had been riled. Bellatrix lashed out, throwing the fairy-posing-as-a-blond-idiot back into the far wall. But she also managed to upturn several tables and send objects flying through the walls and windows._

_The building shook, at the Death Eater's magic lost control, though Varix was certain it was deliberate as Bellatrix grinned maniacally the entire time. Patrons were Apparating out in order to avoid issue. She briefly noticed the other criminals leaving quickly in case they drew law enforcement._

_"Take it back!" shouted the woman, looking irate and probably just as angry._

_"No!"_

_Wrong answer._

_The building collapsed under the pressure of the magic and Varix quickly popped out of there, appearing across the small street, waiting for the inevitable. Bellatrix stepped over the rubble, eyes looking around wildly even as alarms rose. Muggles wouldn't understand it but the magicals… someone called the Aurors._

_Bellatrix glared when her eyes landed on Varix's solitary figure._

_"This isn't over."_

_She Disapparated and Varix quickly followed suit, unwilling to be caught while looking like Lockhart of all people._

Tom frowned, "Is she mad?"

"According to everyone, yes. I think it's a bit more than that. She genuinely thinks Neville is her kid and I don't know what happened beyond the fact that he was to replace the one she lost."

"So she is effectively not after Harry?"

"No. In fact, I'm not sure she even knows anything about him."

"How can she not, his name is all over the place?"

"Yes, and how long has she been 'all over the place' in the last thirteen years?" Varix asked. "She's a little crazy and lonely, I think. She doesn't have anything right now and is trying her hardest to retrieve what she thinks is hers. I don't think she gives a damn about Harry at the moment.

But just because he's safe doesn't mean the others are as well. Who knows what a desperate mother will do for who she views as her child? I mean, I'm not the most mature or maternal but if someone tries to hurt my kid I'll destroy them with no remorse for my actions. So imagine if someone gets in _her_ way…"

"Damn," was Tom's annoyed answer.

"Yeah."

* * *

When Harry walked into Defense, he wasn't expecting to see Varix sitting at Lupin's desk, but there she was, stretched out like she owned the classroom.

"Come, ye children! Take a seat!"

"Why are _you_ here?" demanded Malfoy, looking annoyed.

Varix smirked, "Well, your standing professor has an illness that rages from time to time and I just so happen to be the only person around who can substitute for him. So he'll be gone for a few days probably regularly. McGonagall asked me to help and since I've nothing much else to do, I agreed.

Therefore, when I am teaching, I have the power to give and take away points. So blondie, I suggest curbing the tongue lest you lose Slytherin some points and put your House behind."

She stood from her chair and walked around the desk. "Now, whatever homework you got from Lupin will be handed into him the next time he's here. As for me, I will not be giving written assignments, I hated doing them and I know you do as well."

There was a collective sigh from everyone, including Harry.

"These classes will be practical only and I'm going to begin teaching you how to fend off Dementors, since the damn things can't seem to take a hint and leave students alone."

That sparked interest in the students and Harry felt a thrill run down his spine. He wanted to learn and now he was finally going to.

"Alright, who knows what a Dementor is?"

Hermione and Harry both raised their hands, though Hermione's haste nearly cost him his nose.

"Hermione."

"A Dementor is an amortal, non-being of unknown origin and are said to be the foulest and Darkest creatures to roam the Earth."

"Correct," Varix nodded. "Do not underestimate them. These are not like the Grim Reaper of Muggle legend. The Reapers takes the souls of the dead, but Dementors don't kill you. What they do is far worse. Who can tell me what they do?"

Harry was chosen that time, since no one but he and Hermione raised their hands.

"Dementors spread despair and depression in the form of a chill that freezes the area around them. They feed off human happiness and can consume human souls through The Kiss. The result leaves the human in question in a vegetative state, unresponsive to the world around them."

"Exactly. Don't make light of Dementors and what they can do. Imagine them sucking away your happiest memory, while simultaneously forcing you to relive your worst memory, over and over and over. Unable to escape."

Harry looked around the classroom. Some students looked horrified, but others, like Malfoy for example, didn't seem bothered. A silver spoon born in the mouth had obviously ensured him a rather peaceful life. When he finally broke, it wouldn't be pleasant.

"You feel cold, unloved, uncared for. Your worst experiences rotating in your mind. It terrible. On another note, the touch of a Dementor will freeze your body parts worse than frostbite, and it's instant. The Dementor I killed on the train grabbed him arm and froze it instantly, turning it blue. It was useless and I had to use Elven Healing to reverse the damage. I was left weak for almost two days after that. It's not good."

Varix ran a hand over her arm, frowning. She was obviously remembering the event.

"So there is a charm that you can use to fend off Dementors. It's the Patronus Charm. A Patronus is a Spirit Guardian and when powerful enough, takes the form of the creature or animal that best defines you. Rarely have wizards managed to have something besides an animal be their Patronus, but it isn't an unlikely occurrence.

Also, a hint for you all. Dementors can't feels animals. Should you become an Animagus - a wizard who can turn into an animal - you will be able to confuse a Dementor and slip away. Dementors are blind after all and rely on their odd version of Empathy for human emotions to feel them out."

Hermione's hand shot right up. "Isn't the Animagus transformation process so difficult that barely five percent of wizards manage it?"

"Yeah… that's a bit of a lie."

Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Not to say that the process isn't hard, because it is, just that you have to register if you accomplish it. Now... registering isn't so bad, what the bad part is is that you have to tell what you're distinguishing characteristic is and display it for them to verify the truth of your words. Take me for example, when I turn into an animal, I am either purple with green eyes or green with purple eyes. McGonagall's glasses are outlined on her feline form, and I know a person whose eyes remain the same color.

A good amount of wizards never announce that they are Animagi and for good reason. The list can be easily accessed by anyone who enters the Ministry of the particular country. Public Records and all. Being an Animagus can save your life in battle depending on what you are. So while I encourage you to try to become one, I will not tell you to register because it could save your life one day. And as I am not human nor under the jurisdiction of your laws, I can tell you what I want!"

The last part was said in Hermione's direction. Hermione was a fervent follower of the rules. Hated breaking them and the mere thought of breaking the law so brazenly seemed to horrify her. It was plainly visible on her face.

"Now, back to the Patronus. It's a shield of positive energy that forces a Dementor to feed off of it rather than the person casting it. Now humans claim only happy memories can help you cast a Patronus, but that is false. Happy thoughts in general work just fine. Some don't have happy memories and to make it easier on them, they use thoughts and ideas that would make their day, life, or existence in general, much better off."

Varix held out a hand, " _Expecto Patronum_."

A silvery mist erupted from the end of her fingertips, swirling away from her body and taking position on the floor. The mist began twisting in random directions, before becoming thicker and forming a glowing mass. From the spherical mist, popped a large, winged figure that stood a few feet above Varix, who was already floating.

A slight whinny escaped from the creature and Harry knew then. It was a winged horse.

Several students made sounds of awe and amazement at the sight of it as it trotted up the aisles and wove around them.

"A Patroni's strength depends on the person who cast it. Powerful people make corporeal ones. Those you can touch and whose effects last longer. The best creature to represent me is an Abraxan. Beautiful, deadly, headstrong, slightly pompous, but also caring, nurturing, loyal, and quick learners.

Also, don't be alarmed if your Patronus ends up being what some would consider a Dark Creature. Remember, your Ministry incorrectly labels creatures and many suffer for their slights and stupidity."

The rest of the lesson was an explanation of how to tap into happy thoughts and memories, Varix had them employ many meditation techniques. She also told them to practice every night and that their ability to summon a Patronus would be greatly helped by having joy on their side. Accessing the joy immediately could save their lives one day. The more meditation, the closer to understanding and casting they'd be. Meaning that she'd know if someone wasn't meditating if their skill wasn't up to par.

Many were sad for the hour to end, though glad for no written work.

Varix waved them away, already preparing for the next class.

"You know, meditation also helps in learning to occlude your mind," Hermione said as they departed.

"Meaning?" Ron asked, not getting it.

"Meaning it'll strengthen your ability to keep people from entering your mind or at least control what they see when they do."

"Oh."

'Oh' indeed.

* * *

**A/N: Another is done.**

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out some of my other Harrymort/Tomarry fics.

**Author's Note:**

> Now, before people go bitching about how Varix is overpowered or is a Mary-Sue, let's get something straight. A powerful character doesn't equate to being a mary/gary sue/stue. I can name several powerful characters introduced as almighty and unbeatable beings in movies and anime and no one bats an eyelash and claims that they are mary-sues. Straight from the beginning, they have godlike powers and never lose and people worship these characters! They dont' bitch about how they're too overpowered and unrealistic.
> 
> Varix is of the most rare breed of fairy. Rare because they have power that many would wish to use for themselves. However, she only just reached adulthood in fairy years. She is exactly 1,000 years old. She has more power than Dumbledore or Voldemort and has over 800 years of experience over Dumbles. She's also not biased to only Light Magic. She suffered 1,000 years of magical schooling and the skipping of school. No one could go through schooling for that long and not pick up anything.
> 
> Loosely based off of the Fairly Oddparents and Disney's Aladdin.
> 
> How was it? Let me know.
> 
> Check out my other fics.
> 
> Check me out on Tumblr.


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